Politic?

Lacking Academic Scruples

"It's positively related with winning school-of-business research awards. They tend to get paid more because it's a lot easier to write for predatory publications so you've got more time to do overload teaching to earn extra money teaching extra courses or teaching online courses."
"You'd think the mistakes would be made by the most inexperienced people. However, the higher the academic ranking, the more likely they are to have predatory publications."
"Right now, they're saying I'm banned from the university."
"By separating them [suspension and teaching] they can try to claim it's not related to academic freedom."
Professor Derek Pyne, school of business, Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia

Thompson Rivers University economics professor Derek Pyne has been suspended by the school since July. A faculty association says it is investigating if that constitutes a violation of academic freedom. (tru.ca)

Junk ersatz medical and science online journals have become a scourge. It might seem logical to think that anyone aware of what they represent; scams, rip-offs, shams and crooked business in academia would be ashamed to be connected in any way with them. These are journals utterly lacking scientific credibility for they will publish anything for a price. They advertise online that they're accepting articles, they send phishing announcements through email, they make their brief case on Twitter, and their purpose is absolutely transparent. They're a scamming, money-making business.

Legitimate scientific journals have garnered a reputation for the quality of what they publish. They maintain rigorous academic standards. They don't charge for publication; those whose articles are published have passed the standards of peer review and may consider themselves fortunate to be published which adds to their academic veracity and value in their research. Through the peer review mechanism where other scientists and academics familiar with their field of research comment, make suggestions where appropriate and ultimately accept the final paper, there is treasured validation.

Much stock is placed in the value of publication, and many academics feel pressure to produce papers that see publication in journals. Those who take pride in themselves and their place in their field of study would never consider tarnishing themselves through association with these predatory journals. A good too many, however, anxious to appear to have produced publishable papers will pay the fee it takes for publication in these rags. And it was just this situation that drew the attention of Professor Pyne who decided to reveal in a public forum what has been transpiring at his university.

Thompson Rivers University economist Derek Pyne. TRU is ultimately accountable to the government and, notwithstanding certain restrictions in the University Act, Minister of Advanced Education Melanie Mark shouldn't hesitate to ask the administration for an explanation into Pyne's suspension. PNG

He chose a journal published by the University of Toronto Press and his article was published where he raised the topic of some professors who publish their research in predatory journals. There are no standards to speak of in these journals' publications, only the funds that ensure their articles will be accepted for publication have moment. Investigative reporters have run off 'scientific' articles with sloppy syntax, poor spelling, pooling various topics together in nonsensical fashion, only to have them accepted for publication -- at a price.

Over the eight-year period when Professor Pyne has taught at Thompson Rivers University's school of business and economics he noted that some of his peers submitted papers to these rags, and decided to write a research article which he titled The Rewards of Predatory Publications at a Small Business School, which saw publication in 2017. No names of professors appeared in the article, and nor did he name the university in his article peer-reviewed in the Journal of Scholarly Publishing. But he does make clear that 15 of 27 professors with research responsibilities paid predatory journals to publish papers.

What's even more astonishing is that not despite of this, but because of it, they ended up being promoted. According to a later interview with Professor Pyne, the careers of professors who published in predatory journals have advanced. And then his campaign to out the situation came back to sting him. He has experienced what it's like to have his academic freedom violated since the university has retaliated in lock-step with his research into the situation gaining wider attention.

"Action taken against Dr. Pyne was not related to his specific research, the dissemination of his research, or the exercising of his right to academic freedom", declared the university in a statement, claiming Professor Pyne's academic freedom remains fully protected under the collective agreement with the Thompson Rivers University Faculty Association. The professor, however, has been banned from campus since May, placed on an unpaid suspension linked to his feedback of a colleague being considered for a university position.

His feedback consisted of allegations that the colleague was involved in a dozen instances of predatory research. Staff members at the university routinely give feedback that is collected for the perusal of the selection committee. It and the then-president of the university denounced Professor Pyne's feedback as defamation. It is a position that is being challenged, however. Executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers David Robinson noted the group has informed the university a committee has been formed to examine whether the professor's academic freedom has indeed been violated.

As far as Mr. Robinson is concerned, emails and documents forwarded by Professor Pyne do indeed suggest his research on predatory journals remains at the heart of the university's actions against him. "We had hoped that in the spirit of clearing things up and getting to the bottom of the matter that the administration would cooperate with the investigation",observed Mr. Robinson. "I don't know how this could constitute anything other than a violation of Dr. Pyne's academic freedom, given what we know", added Professor Mark Mercer, president of the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship.