First predatory journals, now conferences: The need to establish lists of fake conferences

Christian Sonne; Yong Sik Ok; Su Shiung Lam; Jörg Rinklebe; Aage K O Alstrup; Ki-Hyun Kim

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136990

First predatory journals, now conferences: The need to establish lists of fake conferences

Sci Total Environ. 2020 May 1:715:136990. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136990. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

Authors

Christian Sonne¹, Yong Sik Ok², Su Shiung Lam³, Jörg Rinklebe⁴, Aage K O Alstrup⁵, Ki-Hyun Kim⁶

Affiliations

¹ Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-added Products, School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China. Electronic address: cs@bios.au.dk.
² Korea Biochar Research Center, Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
³ Pyrolysis Technology Research Group, Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP) & Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (Bio-D Tropika), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
⁴ University of Wuppertal, Institute of Soil Engineering, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany; University of Sejong, Department of Environment, Energy and Geoinformatics, 98 Gunja-Dong, Guangjin-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark.
⁶ Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.

PMID: 32014787
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136990

Abstract

Science of the Total Environment recently discussed how open access and predatory journals affect the flow of scientific knowledge in an unfortunate way. Now, South Korea's Ministry of Education is intervening to establish a system that will help its researchers avoid the growing global number of fake conferences of low academic and scientific merit. Here, we discuss solutions to this problem with respect to what is needed. Particularly, a list similar to that of Beall's for predatory conferences, without restricting researchers' academic freedom.

Keywords: Academic freedom; Knowledge exchange; Overseas; Predatory conferences.