New Diagnostic Pathology Journal Copies Existing Journal Title

OMICS Group recently launched a new open-access journal called Diagnostic Pathology: Open Access. The title closely matches that of the BioMed Central (BMC) journal Diagnostic Pathology. It also matches the scope of The Diagnostic Pathology Journal, a new open-access journal launched by the former editor-in-chief of the BMC journal.

OMICS Group has a track record of launching journals whose titles match or closely match those of established and respected journals. OMICS then proceeds to trade on the ambiguity, tricking some paying authors into thinking its journal is the real one. It does the same thing for many of the hundreds of academic conferences it organizes.

OMICS Group is now spamming authors, seeking papers for the new copycat journal’s “inaugural issue.” The spam email misrepresents the true headquarters location of OMICS Group, declaring a Foster City, California address, instead of its true location, Hyderabad, India.

The former editor-in-chief of BMC’s Diagnostic Pathology recently launched his own journal, The Diagnostic Pathology Journal. Apparently fed up with the status quo of scholarly publishing, Dr. Klaus Kayser of Humboldt University, Berlin, took matters into his own hands.

Dr. Kayser apparently became upset that gold open-access journals with higher prestige are able to charge authors more to publish in them. In his opening editorial in the new journal, Dr. Kayser asks,

“Some of the publishers adjust their publication fee to the citation index (CI) of the corresponding journal. Why?”

[Kayser refers to the impact factor as the “citation index.”]

Dr. Kayser’s new journal is not a predatory journal and is not on my list.

According to the BMC journal’s website, the current author fee is “£1370/$2145/€1745,” a high price indeed. BioMed Central journals are very expensive to publish in. Many are unable to afford to publish in BMC journals.

Clearly, OMICS Group sees the money to be made by publishing articles in the field of diagnostic pathology and seeks to profit as well.

The system of payments from authors has greatly damaged scholarly communication. To level the playing field, scholarly publishing needs a system that publishes research based on its quality, novelty, scientific soundness, and importance, and not merely on the author’s ability to purchase the publishing in a pay-to-play journal.

By: Jeffrey Beall
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Source: Scholarly Open Access

Comments:

L_C says:

September 15, 2015 at 10:14 AM

They weren’t especially subtle about copying other aspects of the original BMC title either. Even their description is comprised of text copied (and slightly rearranged to hide the fact) right out of Diagnostic Pathology. For example, these are from their “About the Journal” sections:

Diagnostic Pathology: Open Access (copycat)-

“The journal of Diagnostic Pathology considers research in surgical and clinical pathology, immunology, and biology, with a special focus on cutting-edge approaches in diagnostic pathology and tissue-based therapy.”

“Diagnostic Pathology will provide an integrative journal for molecular pathology (biology) and digital pathology (virtual pathology), creating an open case discussion platform to be used during daily diagnostic work.”

Diagnostic Pathology (Original)-

“Diagnostic Pathology is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal that considers research in surgical and clinical pathology, immunology, and biology, with a special focus on cutting-edge approaches in diagnostic pathology and tissue-based therapy.”

“Diagnostic Pathology will provide an integrative journal for molecular pathology and digital pathology ,creating an open case discussion platform to be used during daily diagnostic work.”

Note: The comma is out of place on that last section, so even their attempt to copy the phrase and erase the “virtual pathology” (that was in parentheses) from the original is sloppy.

Bobo says:

September 15, 2015 at 10:59 AM

You have the copycat and the original reversed.

L_C says:

September 15, 2015 at 3:30 PM

Right. Thanks 🙂

herr doktor bimler says:

September 15, 2015 at 2:33 PM

The latest spam from Omics in my in-tray is for a “Journal of Pharmacovigilance”. What?? Is this a thing?

Keith Fraser says:

September 16, 2015 at 5:13 AM

I guess stringing random words/concepts together is a good way to keep coming up with new journal titles.

“Journal of Post-Crystallographic Existentialism”
“Progress in Temporal Ergonomics”
“Nano-anthropology Letters”
“Bulletin of the American Pornocopian Society”
“First World Journal of Imitative Spectroscopy”

herr doktor bimler says:

September 16, 2015 at 5:35 AM

I would contribute to ALL THOSE.

Keith Fraser says:

September 17, 2015 at 7:35 AM

“I would contribute to ALL THOSE.”

Beware, I hear their peer review processes can be very exacting. Why, some issues have no articles in them at all because they piously rejected all those that weren’t absolutely perfect!

The Philosopher says:

September 21, 2015 at 2:53 AM

HI jeffry lookout for this site “http://www.revistas-academicas.com/”

Thank you for your service

Jeffrey Beall says:

September 21, 2015 at 4:48 AM

I agree. This site aggregates several hijacked journals.

Anomalia Klimatyczna says:

September 22, 2015 at 4:21 AM

Isn’t “Oceanography: Open Access” a similar case? Even the page looks similar:
http://www.esciencecentral.org/journals/oceanography.php

I ask because I see a paper by someone I know published in this paper. I’m afraid this guy mistook it for the real thing:
http://www.tos.org/oceanography/

The Philosopher says:

September 24, 2015 at 8:06 AM

Hi jeffrey lookout for this site “http://ciencia-e-tecnica.org”

Thank You for your service

Jeffrey Beall says:

September 24, 2015 at 8:25 AM

Agreed, this is the hijacked version of a legitimate journal. I have it included on my list here. Thanks.