Cabell’s, a division of Cabell Publishing, offers a suite of tools designed to support the integrity and quality of scholarly publishing. Here is an overview of their primary products and key features:
Predatory Reports
Predatory Reports is a paid subscription service that serves as a database of deceptive and predatory academic journals. This tool is designed to help authors, libraries, and faculty committees identify and avoid journals that employ questionable, suspicious, or deceitful publishing practices.
Key Features
- Transparent Criteria: Cabell’s uses a detailed set of criteria (currently v1.1 with 74 behavioral indicators) to evaluate journals, organized by subject matter such as integrity, peer review, and publication practices.
- Specific Reasons for Inclusion: Each journal entry includes specific reasons why it was listed as predatory, providing clarity and transparency.
- Appeals Policy: Cabell’s has a clear and fair appeals policy, allowing journals to contest their inclusion on the list.
- User Submission Mechanism: Users can easily submit information about journals for evaluation.
Journalytics
Journalytics is a database of verified, reputable journals. It provides detailed information about these journals, including acceptance rates and invited article percentages.
Key Features
- Quality Designations: Journals are fully vetted and categorized based on their quality standards. This helps users identify reputable outlets for publication.
- Additional Metrics: Includes metrics such as article acceptance rates and scores from Elsevier’s CiteScore Tracker.
- Integration with Other Tools: Journalytics data can be integrated with other tools, such as the AI-driven ChatSDG, to assess the impact of faculty research on sustainable development goals.
Functionality and User Benefits
- Advanced Search: While there have been some historical issues with the advanced search function, it allows users to search by publisher, journal title, country, or ISSN. Efforts have been made to improve its functionality.
- Downloadable Lists: Users can download lists of journals that have been removed from the Whitelist (now part of Journalytics), which helps in maintaining up-to-date information.
- Collection Development and Author Guidance: The tools are highly useful for collection development in libraries and for authors seeking to publish in reputable journals.
Integration and Future Developments
- API and Data Integration: There is a recognized need for Cabell’s to create an API or license their data for integration with other content sets, such as A&I databases or document delivery tools, to enhance its utility.
- AI-Driven Tools: Cabell’s is involved in projects like ChatSDG, which uses AI to rate how well scholarly journals and articles align with the Sustainable Development Goals, further enhancing the impact and relevance of their tools.
Overall, Cabell’s products are designed to maintain the integrity of the scholarly communication ecosystem by providing rigorous and transparent evaluations of academic journals, helping users make informed decisions about where to publish and which journals to trust.