Some magazine and newspaper publications

My particular field of interest is Research in Mathematics. However, I also prefer to write on topics that are concerned to Natural Sciences. For interested people, the online links to these type of my articles are updated here. These include:

 1. Mathematics; not a headache

2. Contributions of muslims in science and causes of their decline

3. Mystery of the Bermuda triangle

4. Disorders of Variable Climate and their prevention

5.  Predatory publishers

Original:

Unfortunately modern developments in research through Open-Access publishing, in spite of being a productive motive towards fast and authentic scientific publication, have also infiltrated the purity of publication ethics and hammered hard the so-called reliable peer-review system. Research community is on to a serious threat by 'predatory' publishers and journals, the word first used in 2012 by Jeffery Beall (academic librarian at University of Colorado, USA). Their hidden slogan being, “Throw money and get your work published online”.

After the advent of open-access, black sheep of research and business community have instigated scam online publishers not having reliable editorial process and referral system for submitted manuscripts. They grab money from authors to publish their works without due peer-review process benefiting at large incomplete, duplicate, plagiarized and unscientific submissions to getting published quickly.

Mr. Beall claims invoking increase in fake publishers and fraud research journals. The climax of the rapidly growing callous practice follows by the fact that from 2012 to 2013, in just one year time span, the number rises from 23 to 225.

Many innocent and young researchers from developing countries, not having adequate exposure to such mal-practicing mafias, start their research career by submitting their work to such journals. However, many scholars intentionally publish their works with such circles in order to get bonus of academic up gradation.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) must take serious note of such publications. Though HEC has announced list of recognized journals but these predatory international journals need clear verdict for being completely banned. HEC should circulate official wording to all concerned institutes and universities highlighting the list of predatory publishers. Authorities should introduce strict scrutiny measures to discard and discourage predatory publications of scholars while academic up gradations and appointments to important posts.

See the published at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/letters/14-Jan-2014/predatory-publishers