Dear Terry,

Yesterday, you passed on a call from Scientific Journals
International. When David questioned the call, you reprinted a
publicity block from the company. I have checked this company now,
and I think David was right to question this call.

Before recommending that members of this list should participate in a
publishing scheme, it helps to examine the company and its offerings.
This is important on a list where doctoral students and younger
faculty members seek information on publishing and conference
opportunities.

I advise caution in dealing with Scientific Journals International.
Anyone who wishes to learn more about why I am skeptical to this
company can visit their web site:

http://www.scientificjournals.org/

Since I have not had time to review each of these many new journals
closely, I will not offer a comprehensive opinion. To avoid the
possibility of legal encumbrance, I will simply say that what I see
on the web site has many earmarks of the questionable publishing
firms established for purposes other than advancing scientific or
scholarly knowledge.

Here are some potential danger signs:

1) SJI is a new company. The ostensible purpose of this company is
not to advance knowledge or communicate scholarly or scientific
information, but rather to give "every researcher, writer or artist a
fair consideration to be published." In other words, the purpose of
the firm is finding a way to publish material that would otherwise go
unpublished - and to frame creative works of writing and art as
"scientific."

2) This company has no publishing experience whatsoever. This is a
not a firm that decided to expand after publishing one or two good
journals. ALL of the firm's journals are new.

3) In January 2007, the firm launched over a dozen new journals in
widely different fields.

Most SJI journals cover an impossible broad range of concerns.
Consider the titles: Journal of Mathematical Sciences, Journal of
Physical Sciences, Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, or
Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences.

4) None of the journals was established or developed by a serious
group of scholars working with seasoned and experience editors. Most
journal publishers choose editors and advisors before launching a
journal. They work with extensively with these editors and advisors
to prepare and launch the journals. Launching a journal usually takes
two to three years. During this time, publishers and editors work
together to examine and resolve hundreds of issues.

SJI is still seeking editors and editorial advisors AFTER launching
the journals. Even without other warning signs, this would be a
massive red flag,

Editing a journal takes real work. Only the quality of the contents
and the hope of shaping the work and thinking of a field justifies
the work this requires. That is why serious scholars and scientists
do this work, and that is why they are careful about their choices.

If you nevertheless want to edit an SJI journal, it seems as though
you would be welcome. The web site contains an on-line fill-in form.
Want to edit a medical journal or focus on the physics of design? SJI
will probably give you a chance to do it.

5) None of these journals seems to be edited by a scholar or
scientist of major distinction. This is understandable. The
best-known scholars already hold editorial posts and advisory posts
at the thousands of journals already in print. Every good journal
sets a tone by working with senior scholars. Without senior scholars
who have had extensive publishing experience, a journal cannot
succeed in attracting serious contributions.

The journal market is based on the economics of prestige and
visibility. SJI knows this, too, or they would not boast of "the most
prestigious and extensive   Editorial and Advisory Board in the
world, representing scholars from Princeton, Oxford, Harvard,
Cambridge, MIT, Columbia and other leading universities from around
the world."

Anyone who knows the composition of editorial boards and advisory
boards in scholarly and scientific publishing would find this claim
questionable in comparison with hundreds of comparable boards.

6) SJI journals accept ALL reference and citation styles in all
journals. If you know the difficulty of managing a journal using one
style, you can already see the problem this poses. Only a few
scholars can actually review across most styles -- generally people
who have worked in professional academic publishing. The fact that
the publishers do not seem to be aware of this tells me a great deal
about their understanding of the mechanics of scientific and
scholarly publishing, and it suggests a questionable relationship to
the review process.

When I drill down into the site, I see yet more problems. I am not
going to go into further detail.

What is the goal of this company?

--snip--

SJI publishes peer-reviewed open-access journals for all disciplines.
SJI mission is to give every researcher, writer or artist a fair
consideration to be published.

--snip--

This is a fascinating goal, given the fact that there are several
hundred thousand journals large and small, better and worse, covering
all these fields, generally with serious and expert editors and
reviewers, and all seeking good content.

In contrast, a questionable industry is now emerging in which
publishers attempt to simulate scholarly and scientific journals. The
context is the explosion of PhD graduates and the transformation of
colleges and polytechnics into universities. These lead to an
increasing demand for research active teachers in the world's
universities.

To some questionable publishers, this creates am opportunity to cash
in on two factors. First is the need of scholars to publish for
professional advancement, whether or not their work warrants
publication. Second, is the notion that unscrupulous publishers can
make money meeting this need.

While I do not accuse Scientific Journals International of being such
a firm, their web site suggests the problematic practices associated
with such firms.

The bottom line is visible on their submission guidelines.

--snip--

Submission Guidelines

SJI welcomes manuscripts from researchers and writers in all
disciplines. Each submission will be sent to three reviewers with
final decisions reported to the author within four weeks. If your
paper is accepted for publication, you will be asked to submit the
License to Publish agreement along with a processing fee of $99.95
(for two authors, the processing fee is $199.95, for three authors,
the processing fee is $299.95, and for four or more authors, the
processing fee is $399.95).

--snip--

It is interesting that the processing fee is not per page or per
article, but rather based on the number of authors.

And there is one more interesting fact:

7) SJI is also seeking investors and possible buy-out or merger opportunities.

This company raises question that are immediately apparent to anyone
who has been involved with launching a journal launches over the
years. In recent years, I have helped to launch three journals,
Artifact for Francis and Taylor, the International Journal of Design
from Taiwan, and Design Research Quarterly for the Design Research
Society.

Launching a single journal - not a dozen, just one -usually takes
between two or three years. At every step, one must address issues
and problems that the publishers of these journals have not yet
considered.

After launch, it takes several years to stabilize and solidify the
journal. This may also involve changing publishers and relaunching,
as has been the case for the Journal of Design Research formerly of
Delft University Press now of Inderscience.

Reaching stability takes a decade. The Design Journal from Ashgate is
just rounding off its first decade now.

Distinguished maturity takes decades. Design Issues from MIT Press
and Design Studies from Elsevier are now reaching thirty.

Every serious journal has a story to tell and a sequence of
developmental steps and development processes that I do not see here.

There are plenty of good journals in our field now and more coming.
We have new and experimental journals such as The Radical Designist;
specialized journals such as Ergonomics in Design or Design
Philosophy Papers; thought forums such as NextD, specialized journals
in materials science or information design -- the list goes on. Some
of these also cover the creative arts: such as the Journal of Visual
Arts Practice or Art, Design, and Communication in Higher Education,
the International Journal of Art and Design Education or Co-Design.

Architectural Design, Design Management Review, Document Design,
Graphic Communication, Information Design Journal, International
Journal of Design Computing, International Journal of Environmentally
Conscious Design & Manufacturing, International Journal of Mechanics
and Materials in Design, International Journal of Technology and
Design Education, International Journal of Vehicle Design, Journal of
Design History, Journal of Engineering Design, Journal of Sustainable
Product Design, Journal of Urban Design, Visible Language. The list
goes on further still. All these journals need reviewers. Reviewing
for a good journal from a good publisher gives valuable experience
and genuine opportunities for academic career development.

With so many good journals available, I cannot see why anyone would
wish to become involved with a questionable publisher that has all
the signs of an academic vanity press.

Being involved with such a publisher is far more likely to harm a
reputation and damage an academic career.

While I do not accuse SJI of being such a company, the publishing
practices of SJI can have the same effect. I view the company and its
journals with skepticism. There are many better ways to use one's
precious time as a reviewer. More to the point, there are journals
where it is better NOT to publish.

Yours,

Ken

--

Prof. Ken Friedman
Institute for Communication, Culture, and Language
Norwegian School of Management
Oslo

Center for Design Research
Denmark's Design School
Copenhagen

+47 46.41.06.76    Tlf NSM
+47 33.40.10.95    Tlf Privat

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