Beall's List Shut Down? Librarian Jeffrey Beall's Blog Unpublished

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In summary, librarian Jeffrey Beall won't say why he has unpublished his widely read blog. It's unclear what his future is but it's possible he will join another organization. It's not clear if the journal "International Journal of Quantum Foundations" is a predatory journal.
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strangerep
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I just noticed this item in Nature.
Librarian Jeffrey Beall won’t say why he has unpublished his widely read blog.

I only found out because I noticed on the arxiv that a paper titled "Can the Many-Worlds-Interpretation be probed in Psychology?" had apparently been approved for publication in the "International Journal of Quantum Foundations", and I want to know whether this is a predatory journal.
 
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strangerep said:
I want to know whether this is a predatory journal.

How about the Internet Wayback Machine?
 
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I don't know if it is predatory, but "International Journal of Quantum Foundations" is not an acceptable journal per our standards, It does not appear in Thompson Reuters, so it cannot be discussed here.
 
  • #4
Vanadium 50 said:
How about the Internet Wayback Machine?
Thanks -- yes it's still archived there. Latest useful cache date is 12-Jan 2017.

I didn't find mention of the IJQF, which claims to be a new kind on blog-like journal. Apparently it's published by Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Under its "submit" tab it says:

IJQF said:
Premier members of IJQF can publish papers in the journal for free. For other authors of accepted papers, paying article processing charge is mandatory. The charge is $500 USD for authors with grant funding and $250 USD for authors with no grant funding.
I'm not sure what to make of it. Sounds iffy to me, but I'm no expert in this sort of thing.
 
  • #5
strangerep said:
Thanks -- yes it's still archived there. Latest useful cache date is 12-Jan 2017.

I didn't find mention of the IJQF, which claims to be a new kind on blog-like journal. Apparently it's published by Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Under its "submit" tab it says:

I'm not sure what to make of it. Sounds iffy to me, but I'm no expert in this sort of thing.
It's not acceptable here. It's not recognized by Thompson Reuters, it's an "Open internet journal".
 
  • #6
Evo said:
It's not acceptable here. It's not recognized by Thompson Reuters, it's an "Open internet journal".
OK, thanks. (I wasn't proposing to discuss the content here -- it sounds like crackpottery to me.)
 
  • #7
strangerep said:
OK, thanks. (I wasn't proposing to discuss the content here -- it sounds like crackpottery to me.)
I figured as much, it was just an FYI.

Sad that Beall's list is gone.
 
  • #8
Why not archive it here on PF? Seems like a good thing to do.
 
  • #9
dipole said:
Why not archive it here on PF? Seems like a good thing to do.
It would expose GregB to far too much risk and grief. In any case, old versions can be found on the Internet Wayback Machine as V50 suggested earlier. Also, it's unclear what Beall's future is. The article suggested he's going to join some other organization.

In any case, having a "white" list such as Thompson-Reuters, rather than a "black" list like Beall's, is probably better and more legally durable in the long term.
 

Related to Beall's List Shut Down? Librarian Jeffrey Beall's Blog Unpublished

What is Beall's List?

Beall's List, also known as the Scholarly Open Access blog, was a website created by librarian Jeffrey Beall that listed potential predatory publishers and questionable open access journals. It was a valuable resource for researchers and scholars to identify and avoid low-quality or fraudulent publications.

Why was Beall's List shut down?

The website was shut down in 2017 by Beall himself due to constant harassment and threats from predatory publishers and their supporters. He also cited a lack of institutional support and resources to maintain the list. However, he continues to maintain his blog and provide updates on issues related to scholarly publishing.

What impact did Beall's List have on the academic community?

Beall's List had a significant impact on the academic community by raising awareness about the issue of predatory publishing and providing a valuable resource for researchers to identify and avoid such publications. It also sparked discussions and debates about the quality and ethics of open access publishing.

Is there an alternative to Beall's List?

There are a few alternative resources that list potential predatory publishers and questionable journals, such as Cabell's Blacklist and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). However, these resources may have different criteria and may not be as comprehensive as Beall's List was.

What can researchers do to avoid predatory publishers and journals?

Researchers can carefully evaluate the publisher and journal before submitting their work by checking the journal's website, editorial board, and publication fees. They can also consult colleagues and experienced researchers for recommendations and use resources like Cabell's Blacklist or the DOAJ to check the credibility of the journal.

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