In April 2012, I published a post regarding predatory publishers and shared a story where good intentions went awry. Predatory publishing is a reality and authors need to be aware of its existence.

In the Scholarly Open Access blog, author Jeffrey Beall documents many publishers he feels fit the predatory label. Of particular interest to me was his post on September 11, entitled “New Predatory Publisher Copies Look and Feel of BioMed Central”.  BioMed Research appears to be a new open access publisher based in India with twenty-one journals attributed to them. While imitation is the best form of flattery – in this case, it definitely is not. BioMed Central is the reputable open access publisher for an author‘s manuscript submission not BioMed Research.

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) has also taken a stand in an effort to address predatory publishers by asking all of the journals in its directory to reapply on the basis of stricter criteria. As they state on their website, they are coming to an end of a proactive process that started in December 2012. This new process can only have a positive impact for authors who seek to publish in open access titles.

If any MSK author is unsure about a publisher’s solicitation, then please ASK US, so that we can explore on your behalf the validity of the opportunity.

Donna Gibson
Director of Library Services