Editor Training

Fraudulent submissions to collections

Collections are used by many journals to provide their readers with groups of articles on topics of interest to the journal. However, they can be at risk of submission of problematic content and both Guest Editors and Journal Editors need to be aware of the indicators of fraudulent content and ready to act to prevent such submissions from reaching publication.  This single-module course provides an overview of the signs of problem submissions and what to do as an Editor if they are encountered.

   editor+B

 english+C

time

Editor Resources

English

15 minutes

About this course

Special Issues, Topical Collections and other groups of articles handled by Guest Editors can be fantastic tools to develop and enhance the content offered by a journal. However, they can be at risk for submission of poor quality or fraudulent content. Both Guest Editors and the Editors of the journal itself need to be alert to potential problems and ready to take action to prevent this type of content from reaching publication and undermining the integrity of the journal. This short course takes you through the types of problem that can be found in Collections, and how to stop them.

Who should take this course?

This module is written for Journal Editors who supervise Special Issues, Topical Collections or other special Collections handled by Guest Editors to ensure they meet the standards of their journal. It would also be useful for Guest Editors who are handle submissions to Collections. Individuals who are interested in becoming Guest Editors in future are also welcome and encouraged to take this course.

What will I learn in this course?

This module covers why Collections can be a useful tool to develop the content of a journal, why it is vital to adhere to research integrity standards in the content of those Collections, the most common signs of problematic content and what to do if these problems are identified during the life cycle of a Collection. Designed as a short, standalone module, this course should not take more than 15 minutes to complete.