Citation

De Leeuw E. Health Promot. Int. 2020; 35(4): 633-638.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/heapro/daaa078

PMID

32766892

Abstract

Most of us have been forced into home offices, onto kitchen tables, and among housemates, children and dogs, working from home in 2020. This created some hopeful future gazing towards a 'new normal' by many. The air was cleaner and quieter with air traffic reduced to pre-1960 levels. Streets were safer and airier so we could aspire to walk and ride our bikes forever. Many of us re-invented what family life might bring to us, rather than elaborate commutes. Some of us rediscovered the joy of cooking with fresh ingredients and kneading dough for your regular instalments of homegrown sourdough. For the more entertainment driven socially connected the locked down isolated sheltering in place might have led to jubilant streaming binge watching. Others mysteriously created work days that consisted of many relentless hours of staring at screens, zooming, skyping, webexing, pexiping, teamsing, ending the day with square bloodshot eyes and a spine that cracked and hurt.

One thing that certainly has not relented in this period was the never-ending avalanche of spurious messages inviting the Esteemed Wonderful Hardworking Doctor Recipient: quickly submit anything to an Open Access Journal, participate in a World Conference, join an Editorial Board or connect with Important Things Otherwise. 'Collaborate now with Worldwide Physicians and Scientists', Dr Nicky Miller wrote to me and thousands of others: I invite you to join LinQBio, The Global HealthTech Network, connecting physicians and scientists, start-ups, entrepreneurs.

Predatory publishing (and conference organizing) is a phenomenon that has been vigorously exploited by entrepreneurial types based mostly in China and India (although a front office postal address is often given in an anonymous US office block--a quick Google Maps Streetview search may show that their editorial offices are probably based in a garbage container or a piece of shrubbery)...

Language: en