Biology journal ghosts researcher after holding paper hostage In a story readers might find familiar, a researcher was asked to pay when he demanded a journal retract an article he had never seen but supposedly wrote — and the journal ghosted him when he refu…

GOING GHOST: "[A] #researcher was asked to pay when he demanded a #journal retract an article he had never seen but supposedly wrote..."retractionwatch.com/2026/04/01/european-jour...

Trust and Integrity in Scholarly Communications: UKSG 2026 Explore the key themes from UKSG 2026 in Glasgow, focusing on trust, integrity, and the industry's future amidst evolving challenges.

TWIN ASPIRATIONS: Trust & Integrity. "These have, of course, been ever-present concerns at such gatherings as UKSG, but rather than being very much in the background, they are now front and center." Read more: blog.cabells.com/2026/04/01/o... #ScholComm #Publishing

Out of time This week, hundreds of librarians, publishers, and vendors have congregated in the UK city of Glasgow to attend the annual UK Serials Group (UKSG). A fixture on the scholarly communications events circuit for many years, there was a clear sense this year that things are under strain, and a once vibrant industry is going through a period of transition. First, there is the name – does anyone really talk about ‘serials’ these days?

At #UKSG, one message was clear: #ScholarlyPublishing is at a crossroads.

From funding pressures to rising concerns around trust and integrity, the challenges are growing, but so is the opportunity for collaboration.

Read our latest blog to learn more (and download our new white paper!).

Cabells publishes report on journal decision-making data - Research Information White paper explores what altmetrics and citations sentiment data mean in terms of academic and societal impact

Cabells publishes report on #journal decision-making data..."a white paper providing insights to #researchers, #librarians, and aligned professionals on how its Journalytics platform can optimise crucial decision-making." www.researchinformation.info/news/cabells...

Cabells colleagues, Simon Linacre and Ash Rees, are at #UKSG26 today in Glasgow. Be sure to stop by Stand 27 to learn about Journalytics STEM, CompassAI, and more!

SEE YOU SOON! Next week, join Cabells team members, Ash Rees and Simon Linacre, at the 49th Annual UKSG Conference & Exhibition in Glasgow! Stop by Stand 27 to learn about Journalytics STEM, CompassAI, and other impactful updates. #Research #Publishing #ScholComm

CERN to host next phase of Open Research Europe platform - Research Information Eligibility will expand to include researchers affiliated with institutions in participating consortium countries

CERN to host next phase of Open Research Europe platform: "The move is intended to promote equity, diversity and transparency in scholarly communication while maintaining high standards of quality and integrity." via www.researchinformation.info/news/cern-to... #Research #ScholComm

DECISIONS, DECISIONS...

Simon Linacre is back this week with another installment of The Source. This week, he talks about the decisions that must go into publishing research and a powerful new tool designed to make that process easier and safer.

#Publishing #Research #ScholComm #CompassAI

Finding your compass When US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld uttered his now-famous speech about what we know and don’t know in the early 2000s, it is fair to say there was a good deal of mockery. Not only did it sound extremely odd, it also didn’t seem to make sense initially. What on earth are ‘known unknowns’ and what possible use is something that we don’t know?

Decision-making in today’s #publishing landscape is more challenging than ever.

Our latest blog explores how decision science can guide smarter #journal selection and how tools like CompassAI help #researchers cut through the noise with data-driven clarity.

NEXT WEEK: Join our Cabells team members, Ash Rees and Simon Linacre, at the 49th Annual UKSG Conference & Exhibition in Glasgow! Stop by Stand 27 to learn about Journalytics STEM, CompassAI, and other impactful updates. #Research #Publishing #ScholComm

U.K. Reverses Course on ‘Opt-out’ AI Policy, Industry Says Threat Remains After fierce lobbying from creative industries, the U.K. government has dropped its intention to establish a copyright exception for AI training—but the the U.K. Publishers Association and Society of…

The #AI threat continues to loom: U.K. Reverses Course on ‘Opt-out’ AI Policy. "[U]nder the scrapped 'opt-out' proposal, AI companies could take what they wanted by default; the burden fell on #authors, #publishers, and other creators to object." via www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

@slinacre.bsky.social takes a leap and leads Cabells' very first video version of our weekly blog, The Source!

#ScholComm #ResearchIntegrity #Research #Publishing

Avoiding Predatory Publishers: Aesop's Timeless Advice Discover the wisdom of Aesop's fable and learn how to navigate predatory publishing in today's challenging scholarly landscape.

Predatory publishing isn’t new, but it’s getting bolder.

From fake metrics to outright identity theft, the risks for researchers are real. As Aesop warned centuries ago: “look before you leap.”

Now more than ever, trusted tools matter!

Read more: blog.cabells.com/2026/03/18/l...

How to Handle Withdrawals from Predatory Conferences Learn how one academic faced issues with a predatory conference and discover ways to withdraw failed submissions effectively.

WASET of time: A previous post "based on an email Cabells received recently from an academic in Tunisia expressing their concern regarding a conference they had submitted papers to, and guidance on how to withdraw their submissions." blog.cabells.com/2026/02/26/w... #ScholComm

Join our Cabells team members, Ash Rees and Simon Linacre, at the 49th Annual UKSG Conference & Exhibition in Glasgow! Stop by Stand 27 to learn about Journalytics STEM, CompassAI, and other impactful updates. #Research #Publishing #ScholComm

Scientific sleuths come in from the cold Research integrity investigators are starting to organize, but the field, and the people, remain idiosyncratic

SLEUTHS, ASSEMBLE! "Scientific sleuths come in from the cold: Research integrity investigators are starting to organize, but the field, and the people, remain idiosyncratic." via @cenmag.bsky.social #ResearchIntegrity #Research cen.acs.org/research-int...

SAVE THE DATE! The next @alpsp.bsky.social course focused on 'How Journals Work' will be on 19 & 20 May. Join me and @jharrison66.bsky.social for a great overview of the scholarly communications industry.

#scholcomm #training #academicjournals #publishing

Predatory journals: The view from Brazil Global academic publishing can often be reminiscent of the tale of the black swan. In England in the 17th century, a ‘black swan’ was a metaphor for a rare or impossible event, that was until 1697 when Dutch explorers found black swans happily swimming around in what is now called Western Australia. The shock of such an event is palpable, but more serious are the assumptions and superiority that such beliefs are based on, that all that exists does so in some small corner of Western Europe.

A recent Brazilian study surveying nearly 5,000 researchers ID'd 66 journals with predatory practices, many using familiar tactics like spam solicitations and rapid publication promises.

The takeaway? Greater awareness and stronger standards are needed worldwide to protect #ResearchIntegrity.

From Boaty McBoatface to “predatory journals,” names tend to stick - especially when they capture a real problem. In our latest blog, Simon Linacre explores why attempts to rebrand #PredatoryPublishing may miss the mark and why clarity still matters in research integrity.

#PredatoryJournals

Opportunities & Threats: Academic Media The task ahead is clear, says Anke Beck: to harness AI not as a threat but as a catalyst.

"Without open licenses and open data, transparency remains selective and accountability incomplete." Read more about The Opportunities & Threats in #Academic Media here: www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/opp... #OpenAccess #Publishing

WASET of time This week’s blog is based on an email Cabells received recently from an academic in Tunisia expressing their concern regarding a conference they had submitted papers to, and guidance on how to withdraw their submissions. This is a common situation that researchers find themselves in, and with the kind permission of Professor Chokri Ben Salah, we are presenting their case so others might gain some support and insight into the problems caused by predatory conferences.

Even experienced researchers can be misled by #PredatoryConferences.

In our latest blog, we share the story of a scholar who unknowingly submitted to a WASET event mimicking a legitimate conference - and what happened next.

Know the warnings signs. Protect your work.

#ResearchIntegrity

In case you missed it, Cabells launched Journalytics STEM last week! It provides info on over 7k verified #journals, covering #Science, #Technology, #Engineering, and #Mathematics. Learn more here: cabells.com/solutions/jo... #Publishing

I am attending London Book Fair on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 March with @cabells.com . If you're around and would like to meet up, please send me a message. Very much looking forward to catching up!

Next-Level Decisions After several years in development, Cabells launches its new Journalytics STEM product today, offering the same next-level journal data as its companion Academic and Medicine products to support the best possible decision-making across STEM subjects. It’s taken time to put together Journalytics STEM simply because there are a lot of journals to review, curate, and assess in this field, with well over 7,000 journals included across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics areas.

Next-level decisions start here.

Today we’re launching Journalytics STEM — bringing curated, verified journal data across 7,000+ #STEM titles together with Predatory Reports (20,000+ #PredatoryJournals) to power smarter publishing choices.

Check out our latest blog to learn more.

Cabells launches Journalytics STEM database - Research Information Database includes more than 7,800 journals across 26 STEM subject areas including engineering and mathematics

Cabells launches Journalytics STEM database

www.researchinformation.info/news/cabells...

Database includes more than 7,800 journals across 26 STEM subject areas including engineering and mathematics

@cabells.com

It's nearly here.
New journal insights. Additional predatory protection. All on one platform.
Launching tomorrow.
#Research #Journals #ScholarlyPublishing #ScholComm

Something new for STEM publishing launches this week.

Built for clarity. Built for protection. Built for better decisions.

More soon. 🚀
#STEM #ScholarlyPublishing

20,000 Problems for Researchers As many readers will have noted last week, Cabells’ Predatory Reports database went over 20,000 journals listed for the first time. This is significant not just because that is a LOT of journals – with James Butcher asking if this might be as much as 20% of all published journals in his Journalology newsletter this week - but also because it represents fraud and deception on such a broad scale. 

#PredatoryPublishing just crossed a troubling milestone: 20,000+ journals included in Cabells’ Predatory Reports.

Our latest blog details what’s behind the growth, how evolving tactics (including AI) are shaping our updated criteria, and why rigor still matters.

#AcademicPubliishing

Cabells Expands Predatory Reports Database to 20,000 Journals Cabells' Predatory Reports database now includes over 20,000 journals, empowering academics to navigate and verify reliable publishing options.

What sets Cabells apart?
📌 Transparent criteria
📌 Expert reviewers
📌 20,000+ #journals evaluated
#Research
Read all about last week's announcement: buff.ly/QyX8Ykk

Cabells Expands Predatory Reports Database to 20,000 Journals Cabells' Predatory Reports database now includes over 20,000 journals, empowering academics to navigate and verify reliable publishing options.

Cabells' Predatory Reports uses transparent, documented criteria to evaluate journals, which now has 20K+ titles.

Helping researchers publish with confidence. #Publishing #Research #PredatoryJournals
blog.cabells.com/2026/02/03/c...