Introducing … Purple Journals

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Another silly name in a serious business.

It’s not uncommon for new open-access publishers in Nigeria to assign attention-grabbing names to their operations. Purple Journals is the latest of these. It joins the ranks of Wudpecker Journals and Wyno Academic Journals.

Nigeria is also home to Greener Journals, so I fully expect all other colors to be claimed by future, questionable scholarly OA publishers. I guess the business strategy is that researchers will find it easy to remember your company name, even though some will be turned off by it.

The publisher now has ten journals, each of which has a broad coverage, a strategy that makes more articles fall in the journal’s scope and brings in more author fees. The article processing charge is currently $100 per article, but the publisher claims to grant waivers for people in low-income countries.

Not surprisingly, the motif of the website is purple.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Will biotechnologists find this appealing?

The publisher is new, and few articles have been published among its journals. Each journal has a publication ethics page, but the content on each is lifted from other websites without attribution.

This is a one-man operation. Each of the journal’s webpages was set up using a template. The entire site is spare, with content lifted from other publishers. I’d wager that this was all set up in a single day. The journal covers are unimaginative, simply bearing the title, a (likely) pirated picture, and a purple background.

Verdict: Don’t submit any papers to this publisher. Don’t agree to serve on its editorial boards. Do delete any spam emails it sends you.

 Hat tip: J. Brady

Appendix: List of Purple Journals journals as of July 16, 2013:

1. Comprehensive Journal of Education and Arts (CJEA)
2. Global Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science Research (GJMCSR)
3. Journal of Economics and Business Management (JEBM)
4. Journal of Medicine and Medical Research (JMMR)
5. Purple Journal of Agricultural Research (PJAR)
6. Purple Journal of Biotechnology (PJB)
7. Purple Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Research (PJEEER)
8. Purple Journal of Engineering, Oil and Gas Research (PJEOGR)
9. Purple Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology ( PJPP)
10. Purple Journal of Physical Sciences (PJPS)

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.