Taken from the Lands’ End catalog?
International Science & Research Journals (also called ISR Journals & Publications) is a new publisher from India that is so fake and amateurish that its website is actually hilarious.
The first thing you notice is the image on the main page is obviously lifted out of a clothing catalog, but changed to black and white. Much of the site’s text reads as if it were copied from a successful company’s webpage. It’s rich with corporate jargon and designed to impress, but it fails miserably.
The publisher launched recently with 18 journals. One of its innovations is a quick turnaround time for peer review. Here’s what the publisher promises:
How innovative!
The page reads:
Many journals take many months, even years to publish research. By the time papers are published, often they become outdated. ISR publishes papers in the shortest possible time, without compromising on quality. This will ensure that the latest research is published, allowing readers to gain maximum benefit. We provide feedback instantaneously and furnish details of the outcome within about 5-6 working days of submission of your research paper. This enables research scholars to use their time effectively on the actual research rather than on the follow ups.
Okay, so we have a new publisher that completes a peer review within five or six days. Amazing.
Now the Funny Part
The website’s most hilarious section is the “Management Team” page; it reads like a self-parody. The page gives the biographies of its Founder and Chairman, Dr. John Paul, its Co-Founder and Chief Editorial Officer, Dr. Adams (no first name given), its Director Publications and Subscriptions, Dr. James Watson, and finally, its Director Research, Nikola Tesla. Here are the full bios, taken from the website:
Dr.John Paul, M.E,Ph.d(Information Technology)
Founder and Chairman
Dr.John Paul who has been the motivator and inspiration behind the formation of ISR Journals. He served in the research field for about 18 years in view of providing educational services to the poor and downtrodden. Though he is an educationally unqualified philanthrope, with the experience he had gained in his research career, he later on stamped his foot print in various business domains like Software Development, Business Research etc., with management assistance and leadership directives from Dr.Adams M.E,Ph.d(Computer Science and Engineering).
Dr.Adams ,M.E,Ph.d(Computer Science and Engineering)
Co-Founder and Chief Editorial Officer
Dr.Adams has a successful track record in various leadership capacities in the Engineering operations, Quality & Process Management,Manufacturing and software Engineering disciplines in the leading conglomerates etc., He has hands on experience and expertise in all phases of Software Development Life Cycle like Requirements Analysis, Enterprise Architecture Design, Development, Implementation and Training of distributed systems with excellent system design experience using UML, Rational Rose and System Architect 2001. Has about 16+ years of techno-functional experience and an in-depth understanding of emerging technologies and their commercial applications.
[One paragraph not copied]
Dr.Adams is an innate entrepreneur and is instrumental in establishing various retail centres across disparate disciplines like Software Development, Business Research etc.,, in his early years itself, sustaining them with high process orientation and running them profitably successfully for many years.
He has obtained the following prestigious technical certifications given by International bodies like
1.Microsoft Certified IT Professional – Database Administrator on SQL Server 2005 (MCITP)-2008, Australia,
2.Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist on SQL Server 2005 (MCTS)-2007, Australia.
Dr.James Watson, M.E,Ph.d(Electronics and Communication Engineering)
Director Publications and Subscriptions
Mr Dr.James Watson is an educationally unqualified, but a proven writer & journalist under the able encouragement of Dr.Adams. She has been writing articles pertaining to South Indian ethos, culture, religion, dynasties, family relationship, lineage etc., for more than 20 years as a columnist for variety of magazines, local dailies and weeklies. Traveled throughout India, from East to West and North to South by virtue of her husband’s transferable IAF job, she has been exposed to multi cultural, multi lingual, multi communal and multi racial aspects of India, which was an instigating factor in imbibing and absorbing the intricacies of human ethos in this part of the world. She has about 20 years of experience in the publication and printing industry.
Nikola Tesla
Director Research
Nikola Tesla obtained her graduation in Computer Science and Engg from one of the reputed colleges in USA and has got about 15 years of experience in software consulting, general management and research consulting. As an avid reader and an aggressive thinker, she has always been successfully leading technical teams and has got good exposure to research consulting. She is the sitting chairman of ISR’s Research Board, which comprises eminent professors who are specializing in disparate disciplines. Has worked in reputed software vendors in and around USA prior to joining ISR.
Obviously, these names are completely fake, the bios are contrived. The last name is that of an American inventor.
