Opportunistic Journals in Clinical Pharmacology - What Can be Done? | ACCP Policy Statement

ASHBURN, Va., May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP), through its Publications and Public Policy Committees, has issued a Policy Statement on the critical problem of opportunistic journals, often termed "predatory" journals, in the field of clinical pharmacology, with implications for biomedical publications. 

Predatory publishers have exploited the free-market structure of biomedical journal publications to establish open-access electronic journals numbering in the thousands.  In the clinical pharmacology realm, at least 26 such journals have been founded in the last 5 years, none of which is indexed by the National Library of Medicine.  Some of the journals have never published an issue, and a common feature is journal titles that resemble titles of existing legitimate journals. A close look at editorial process and content of opportunistic journals indicates that peer-review is superficial or non-existent.  Submitted papers, solicited by mass email solicitations, are readily accepted for publication but a publication cost is levied which can exceed US $3,000.  The scientific content of published articles is poor and without PubMed indexing, authors are assured of negligible dissemination to the scientific community.

Read the Policy Statement here.

Drs. Greenblatt and Bertino emphasize the "collateral damage" from these publication practices, stating that  "Individual authors, the scientific community, legitimate biomedical journals, academic institutions and the public health in general all are adversely affected by the growth of opportunistic publications."

The ACCP Statement proposes collective action of the biomedical community can harness economic leverage to combat the situation.  Specifically,

• Do not submit, review, or cite manuscripts involving opportunistic journals;
• Do not serve on their editorial boards;
• Create a central cataloging source to replace the now-discontinued Beall's List, whereby authors can identify and avoid opportunistic publishers and journals.

The Policy Statement appears in the May, 2018, issues of Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development and The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.  The authors are David J. Greenblatt and Joseph S. Bertino, Jr., the respective Editors-in-Chief of the two ACCP journals.

About ACCP
The ACCP is a non-profit association providing accredited Continuing Education, publications and career-enhancing opportunities to clinical pharmacology healthcare professionals.

SOURCE American College of Clinical Pharmacology

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