Don’t be a sucker: Open Access (OA) predatory journals

With the steady rise of Open Access (OA) publishing models, it can be tricky to know which journals are legitimate. If you’re a researcher, then you’ve undoubtedly been spammed by a representative from some alleged OA publisher, asking for submissions.

Before sending your research to any publisher, take a second and review the group’s status:

• Look up a journal name in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
• Check Jeffrey Beall’s annual List of Predatory Open-Access Publishers.

For a review of the OA movement, check out Mikael Laakso et al’s 2011 PLoSOne review.

Laakso M, Welling P, Bukvova H, Nyman L, Björk B-C, et al. 2011 The Development of Open Access Journal Publishing from 1993 to 2009. PLoS ONE 6(6):e20961. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0020961

What’s Trending on MedlinePlus?

When a patient has questions about a health topic, we almost always send them to MedlinePlus for answers.  MedlinePlus is an excellent online bank of trusted health information.  It has easy-to-grasp definitions, videos, and printable summaries on thousands of health topics.

Now, MedlinePlus lets you view the top 100 searches entered into their search box each day.  If you’re a doctor  or healthcare provider, this is a quick snapshot of what might be on your patient’s mind.

Today’s trending topics:  amoxicillin, hypothyroidism, cholesterol and down syndrome.

View top searches or embed the word-cloud widget on your own website!

 

What is NIH’s Public Access Policy?

The NIH Public Access Policy was passed in 2007, requiring that peer-reviewed, scientific publications must be made available to the public if the research was funded with NIH grant money.

In December 2011, the Research Works Act was introduced to the House, and seeks to overturn NIH’s Public Policy Act.

If you’re unfamiliar with NIH’s act, here is a great 2-page policy overview from the National Institutes of Health.

Library & Knowledge Services can assist you to comply with NIH’s Public Access Policy and ensure that your research is available to the public 12 months after you have published.  Ask us!

“The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publically available no later than 12 months after official date of publication: Provided, that the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.”  (Consolidated Appropriations Act, [PL 110-161] enacted December 26, 2007)

Visualizing Federal Grant and Contract Data

USASpending.Gov has a great infographic on federal spending from 2000 – present.  You can refine by funding type (grant, contract, loan) and funding agency.  Watch how much Colorado has been awarded every year for the past 12 years in relation to other states.

HHS contracts and grants by total transactions