Tag: Hindawi

Beware of mimicry in #OpenAccess journals

Wow – just got this email from a new journal soliciting papers:

Dear colleagues,
we are pleased to announce that the call for papers for the Special Issue “Molecular Phylogenetics 2016” is now open with the BioMed Research International
journal.
The scope of the Special Issue covers:
•  Evolutionary genomics
•  Molecular phylogenetics and systematics
•  Molecular dating, inferring complex scenarios of coevolution, reconstruction of complex ancestral traits and events in genome evolution
•  Development and phylogeny (evo-devo)
•  Models and algorithms for molecular evolution
•  Applied phylogenetics: genotyping and barcoding of biological objects, molecular anthropology, molecular epidemiology, forensic science, etc.
•  Molecular ecology, biodiversity, and biogeography
All submissions go through the peer-review process. The journal publishes research and review articles with no page limit. It is an Open Access journal, and
fixed article processing charges apply to accepted manuscripts (www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/apc). The journal is indexed by all major abstracting and
citation systems.
Important deadlines:
Manuscript due: 26 February 2016
First round of reviews: 20 May 2016
Publication date: 15 July 2016
Earlier manuscripts will be processed for review upon submission date. The Editors team is making all effort to provide for a fast and friendly review
process.
Detailed information on the Call-for-Papers is available online at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/si/295862/cfp.
Contents of the Special Issues 2013 and 2014 are available online at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/si/585782 and
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/si/392635.
We welcome all contributors interested in submitting their research.

With best regards,
the Editors team of “Molecular Phylogenetics 2016”

Whatever you think of Hindawi as a publisher (I am skeptical) the name “BioMed Research International journal.” struck me as very strange.  It seems like a mimic of Biomed Central.  So I googled around and found others who also think it is a mimic (and not in a good way).  For example see Jeffrey Beale from Sept 2014: New Predatory Publisher Copies Look and Feel of BioMed Central.

Yuck.  The name appears to be a clear attempt to confuse authors that they are affiliated with Biomed Central.  And the format and look appears to be doing the same too.  So thus Hindawi has moved from my “maybe a spammy predatory publisher” to “definitely a spammy predatory publisher” list.

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This is from the “Tree of Life Blog”
of Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist and Open Access advocate
at the University of California, Davis. For short updates, follow me on Twitter.

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