One of the tricks that the International Organization of Scientific Research(IOSR) uses to convince authors that it is legitimate is to flash logos of legitimate organizations on its main page.
There are four pictures that cycle every few seconds. Seen above is the HOLLIS–Harvard Libraries logo, with Harvard’s Veritas symbol. Others include a NASA logo and an OASPA (Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association) logo (even though this publisher is not a member).
The publisher, based in New Delhi, has a lot of false and misleading information on its webpage.
Also, all of the publisher’s 14 journals have the exact same editorial board, even though they cover widely disparate topics.
Also, on each journal’s main page an editor in chief is listed, but I think the names, which are listed without any institutional affiliation are made up. Here are some examples:
- IOSR Journal of Computer Engineering = Dr. Edward Thomas, USA
- IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering = Dr. Smith Williams, USA
- IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences = Dr. Kendrick Russell, USA
- IOSR Journal of Applied Physics = Dr. Isabella Olivia, New Zealand
In addition, a couple of the journals lack any editor in chief at all, and a Dr. Habibah-Al-Husain of Egypt is the editor of at least three of the publisher’s journals.
The publisher charges $75 per accepted paper, but it also requires that authors sign over copyright.
The publisher claims that all its journals have very low acceptance rages. One example is the IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, which it claims has a 12.58% acceptance rate.
I think this is hogwash. Here is one of the articles from the journal’s most recent issue (vol. 1, issue 2, 2012):
Effect of Functional Training on Physical Fitness Components on College Male Students-A Pilot Study
Does this article belong in a journal dedicated to humanities and social sciences?
The publisher also has a separately branded web property called IOSR Xplore. It is an attempt to copy the marketing behind the well-known IEEE Xplore website. The site contains a couple of additional journals
I find that the International Organization of Scientific Research is a highly questionable organization that all scholars should avoid. It uses others’ logos gratuitously, it has bogus editorial boards and editors, and it provides false and misleading information on its website.
Appendix:
List of journals published by the International Organization of Scientific Research:
- IOSR Journal of Agriculture and veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS)
- IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC)
- IOSR Journal of Applied Physics (IOSR-JAP)
- IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM)
- IOSR Journal of Computer Engineering (IOSR-JCE)
- IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS)
- IOSR Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IOSR-JEEE)
- IOSR Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering (IOSR-JECE)
- IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT)
- IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS)
- IOSR Journal of Mathematics (IOSR-JM)
- IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE)
- IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences (IOSR-JPBS)
- IOSR Journal of VLSI and Signal Processing (IOSR-JVSP)
