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Via $50-million fine for predatory publisher that swallowed up Canadian science journals by Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, April 4, 2019: 

A judge in Nevada has fined the world’s biggest publisher of fake science journals more than $50 million, quoting evidence from this newspaper that helped demonstrate the publisher’s deceptive practices.

Omics International, based in India, operates more than 700 science journals. In recent years, it has bought up two reputable science Canadian publishers — Pulsus Group and Andrew John Publishing — and converted them to companies that will publishing anything for cash.

On April 22, I blogged Medical journals published by "predatory" publisher claim three University of Toronto faculty members are editors -- here's the university's reply after I asked about that, about a couple Pulsus Group journals, Diabetes Management and Clinical Practice (Therapy).

The university replied that the journals' claims were inaccurate and that the three faculty members were instructing the journals to remove their names from the mastheads.

Per my item, recently when I asked Sally Richardson, a faculty member at London's Kingston/St. George's Universities about her name on the masthead of another Pulsus property, the International Journal of Clinical Skills (IJOCS), she replied:

My name shouldn’t be on this list as I haven’t been part of this journal for many years and will have my name removed.

(Yesterday I reported this item about the editorial policy at IJOCS, "Predatory" London-based medical journal: Publication dates of our articles & authors' names are "confidential.")

I thought it would be interesting to learn if other editors on the IJOCS masthead -- there are about two dozen -- were still affiliated with the journal.

As a trial run, this week I wrote to media reps at the four institutions highlighted below.

Today I received the first response re: Dr.. Vinod Patel at the University of Warwick, Coventry. I've posted that below this screenshot and will add responses from the others if/when they reply.


Thu, 25 Apr 2019 13:29:05 +0000

Dear Peter,

Professor Patel has not had any involvement with this journal for the past five years, and has therefore contacted the journal to have his name removed from the editorial board.

Kind regards,

Peter Thorley
Media Relations Manager (Warwick Medical School and Department of Physics) | Press & Media Relations | University of Warwick
Email: peter.thorley@warwick.ac.uk | Tel: 024 761 50868 | Mob: +44 (0) 7824 540863 | | University House | Coventry | CV4 8UW | Find us on the interactive map



4/27/19 e-mail to me:

Hi, thanks for getting in touch. FYI, I was on the Editorial Board of the IJOCS from its inception, as were several UK-based colleagues, and I seem to remember receiving hard copy of the first few issues. However I was never asked to do anything 'editorial', eg reviewing papers, attending meetings, offering comment, and quite frankly forgot all about it. I retired over four years ago, so have had no reason to think about it and obviously had no idea of the backstory you describe. I have contacted the journal to ask for my name to be removed from the Board membership list with immediate effect. Good luck with your endeavours!

Best wishes, John Spencer
 
Emeritus Professor John Spencer
Newcastle upon Tyne



4/26/19 statement from Melanoma Institute, Sydney, Australia via Jennifer Durante, Head of Communications & Fundraising

Associate Professor Robyn Saw is a Faculty Member of Melanoma Institute Australia. Associate Professor Saw has never been associated with the International Journal of Clinical Skills (IJOCS) publication, and has never authorised use of her name as ‘editor’ on the publication masthead. Melanoma Institute Australia requests Assoc Professor Saw’s name be immediately removed from the IJOCS editorial masthead, and all other references in relation to the publication, or legal action will be considered.