Fake it ‘til you make it Criticisms of universities and their lack of formal training of PhD students are nothing new – 20 years ago, I personally heard this many times while giving talks on publishing at some of the top research universities in the UK, Australia and Western Europe....

Fake it ‘til you make it

Criticisms of universities and their lack of formal training of PhD students are nothing new – 20 years ago, I personally heard this many times while giving talks on publishing at some of the top research universities in the UK, Australia and Western Europe. At the time it seemed shocking, but not surprising. Very little information seemed to shared by universities about how their faculty could publish their research, despite the fact that the resulting publications were the very thing universities were judged on to show their worth.

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When imitation isn’t sincere – or flattery Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash Anyone who has published an academic article will recognize the feeling of despair when receiving an email like the one below – clashing color schemes, weird formatting and multiple typos all point to the same conclusion…

When imitation isn’t sincere – or flattery

Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash Anyone who has published an academic article will recognize the feeling of despair when receiving an email like the one below – clashing color schemes, weird formatting and multiple typos all point to the same conclusion – some predatory publisher is trying for the sixth time this week to entice me into publishing in their poor imitation of a journal.

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Have you done your due diligence? Many ideas focused on improving scholarly communications are borrowed from adjacent industries, where there is some overlap in concepts or procedures that lend themselves to more easily… https://blog.cabells.com/2026/08/12/have-you-done-your-due-diligence/

Have you done your due diligence?

Many ideas focused on improving scholarly communications are borrowed from adjacent industries, where there is some overlap in concepts or procedures that lend themselves to more easily envisaging how new ways of working may be adopted. Think the use of Agile project management processes in publishing, or the increasing adoption of trust markers in research integrity issues. Ideas that make sense in another context and can be mapped to our own area have a better chance of being adopted to improve outcomes of immediate concern. 

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School’s out for Summer* Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash The first half of 2026 has offered no shortage of reminders that scholarly publishing is changing rapidly - and not always comfortably for those of us in scholarly… https://blog.cabells.com/2026/07/22/schools-out-for-summer/

School’s out for Summer*

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash The first half of 2026 has offered no shortage of reminders that scholarly publishing is changing rapidly - and not always comfortably for those of us in scholarly communications. Reviewing the Cabells blog so far this year, one theme has come through again and again: researchers, librarians, publishers and institutions rrequire improved evidence, habits and tools if they are to navigate a landscape being reshaped by AI, predatory practices and shifting norms about the notion of research impact.

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OMB = OMG Photo by Fr0ggy5 on Unsplash On Monday 13th July the deadline passed for stakeholders to comment on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) …... https://blog.cabells.com/2026/07/15/omb-omg/

OMB = OMG

Photo by Fr0ggy5 on Unsplash On Monday 13th July the deadline passed for stakeholders to comment on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposal to “revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance to improve government-wide policies and requirements related to the management of grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance”. Sounds kind of benign, but it has caused outrage across the industry.

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Blurred lines Science through time has always represented truth. Logical truth, verifiable truth, empirical truth – whatever the scientific method employed the single goal has been to find out whether something was true or false.... https://blog.cabells.com/2026/07/08/blurred-lines/

Blurred lines

Science through time has always represented truth. Logical truth, verifiable truth, empirical truth – whatever the scientific method employed the single goal has been to find out whether something was true or false. Most of the time this might not be anything very exciting or innovative, but from the high school lab to cutting edge R&D, the pursuit of science seemed pretty clear cut.

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Wish List April saw the curtain come down on one of the most remarkable resources available in business and management research....

Wish List

April saw the curtain come down on one of the most remarkable resources available in business and management research. The Harzing Journal Quality List ( has been meticulously researched and updated an incredible 72 times over the 26 years of its existence, providing a reliable snapshot to academics and publishers alike how ranked journals compared across disciplines from different journal lists published round the world.

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With an exceptional #citation sentiment profile and substantial coverage across news, blogs, policy sources, and social media, Trends in Cognitive Sciences demonstrates how impactful #research can resonate far beyond #academia. Read the white paper: blog.cabells.com/2026/03/30/c...

High visibility. Strong credibility. Broad impact. Science Advances combines a top-tier Scite Index with extensive media, #policy, and social media attention, making it a powerful example of how #research can achieve both#academic influence and public reach. blog.cabells.com/2026/03/30/c...

Can you have your cake and eat it, too? 🍰 Join Simon for this week's vlog on why you should use more than one resource (or database) to choose which #journal to #publish your #research.

The #publishing landscape is changing rapidly. As AI-generated content and predatory #journals become more common, #researchers need trusted ways to evaluate journal quality, credibility, and impact before submitting their work. Read more: blog.cabells.com/2026/03/30/c...

✨📚 Welcome to Day 1 of #ALAAC26! Stop by Registration in the McCormick Place West Building Hall F1A today from 2:00pm to 5:00pm to pick up your badge. Get ready for an amazing five days of learning, networking, and inspiration. We're thrilled you're here.

Why rely on one journal database when you can use two? Combining Journalytics and Predatory Reports helps researchers identify trusted #journals, avoid predatory outlets, and build a stronger publication strategy. From CompassAI recommendations to verified journal data, it's a recipe for smarter…

Top five benefits of using TWO journal databases

June 2026 marks the 10th anniversary in the UK of its tectonic vote to leave the European Union. The so-called Brexit debate consumed the country at the time, and has continued to factor in almost every major political change the UK has had in the last decade – right up to and including the resignation of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, heralding the arrival of no less than the seventh inhabitant of 10 Downing Street in that time. 

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THIS WEEK: Cabells colleagues, Ash Rees and Mike Bisaccio, are attending ALA in Chicago in just a couple days! Stop by Booth 5115 to learn about our newest platform, Journalytics STEM, and tools to help your #researchers navigate the #publishing landscape. #Libraries

Research impact can't be captured by a single metric. Alternative metrics help reveal how #research is shared and discussed beyond academia, while #citations provide important scholarly context. Together, they offer a fuller picture. More: blog.cabells.com/2026/03/30/c...

NEXT WEEK: Join our colleague, Ash Rees, at #ASEE June 21-24 in Charlotte, NC! He'll be at Booth 1008 and ready to talk about our newest platform, Journalytics STEM, as well as CompassAI - tools to accelerate your publication growth in #engineering disciplines. #Publishing

The impact of #research isn't limited to citations. Research can influence policy, shape media narratives, and spark public discussion. Looking beyond traditional #metrics provides a more complete picture of research reach and influence. #Journals Read more: blog.cabells.com/2026/03/30/c...

AI slop. Churnalism. Enshittification. Franken-references. The #ScholarlyPublishing landscape is evolving quickly, and so is the language used to describe its challenges. Our latest blog explores some of the emerging terms shaping conversations around #AI, #research quality, and…

Word up

To state the obvious, words matter – but sometimes the wrong words in the wrong place can matter even more than the right ones. In the recent Cabells white paper on how to use data for choosing the optimal journal for publication, it was clear that both understanding terms used on social media and then using those terms to promote research work was key for scholars in the modern era to be successful in attracting interest to their work.

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Why does some #research gain traction while other work goes unnoticed? Research visibility is influenced by many factors, including #publishing practices and how findings are communicated. Understanding these signals can help maximize impact. Read more: blog.cabells.com/2026/03/30/c...

Cabells colleagues, Ash Rees and Mike Bisaccio, are attending ALA in Chicago this year! Stop by Booth 5115 to learn about our newest platform, Journalytics STEM, and tools to help your #researchers navigate the #publishing landscape. #Libraries

Where should you publish your next paper? Our latest white paper explores how citation sentiment, @Altmetric.com attention, and #journal intelligence can help #researchers make more informed #publishing decisions and maximize research impact. Read more: blog.cabells.com/2026/03/30/c...

Join Simon in our latest discussion at The Source. This week's topic is exploring what could be the end of paper mills and what that could look like for #academics, #publishers, and other #researchers!

Join our colleague, Ash Rees, at #ASEE June 21-24 in Charlotte, NC! He'll be at Booth 1008 and ready to talk about our newest platform, Journalytics STEM, as well as CompassAI - tools to accelerate your publication growth in #engineering disciplines. #Publishing

As #AI-generated manuscripts drive record submission volumes, a surprising possibility is emerging: if authors can create articles instantly and at no cost, the appeal of #PaperMills may decline. But what does that mean for #PredatoryJournals and #ResearchIntegrity?

The end of the paper mill?

In his widely cited - and widely misunderstood - book The End of History and the Last Man, historian and author Francis Fukuyama was heavily criticized for saying that the West had ‘won’ and that there would be no meaningful conflicts to trouble the world with the fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s. The following 40 years or so seem to bear this criticism out, with 9/11, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and most recently the war in Iraq providing ample evidence that history is indeed still happening.  

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Cabells colleagues, Ash Rees and Mike Bisaccio, are attending AALA in Chicago this year! Stop by Booth 5115 to learn about our newest platform, Journalytics STEM, and tools to help your #researchers navigate the #publishing landscape. #Libraries

Join our colleague, Ash Rees, at #ASEE June 21-24 in Charlotte, NC! He'll be at Booth 1008 and ready to talk about our newest platform, Journalytics STEM, as well as CompassAI - tools to accelerate your publication growth in #engineering disciplines. #Publishing

Research on #PredatoryPublishing is growing fast: 2k+ articles and 43k+ citations since 2020. What are scholars learning? Recent studies challenge common assumptions, examine national publishing trends, and highlight ongoing concerns about outdated tools used to identify #PredatoryJournals. Read…

Reviewing the literature on predatory publishing

The simplest way to learn about predatory journals and their tricks of the trade is to look at the burgeoning number of articles on the topic. Since 2020, there have been over 2,000 research articles published that mention ‘predatory publishing,' with the rate increasing over time. Indeed, as you can see from the graph below, aside from the spike in 2021 and a fall back in 2022 following the pandemic, we have seen year-on-year increases so that 2025 was the biggest ever year for published research on the topic. 

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Can trust in scholarly communications be rebuilt? Our latest blog explores Jimmy Wales’ The Seven Rules of Trust and what Wikipedia’s journey from skepticism to credibility can teach academia about #AI, #ResearchIntegrity, and the future of publishing.

Book review – “The Seven Rules of Trust” by Jimmy Wales

Trust is something we all take for granted. From taking an umbrella with you on a day out because the weather forecast said it would rain, to watching a movie following a friend’s recommendation, we commit to dozens of actions each day based on trusting something we have seen, heard, or sensed in some way. Of course, we live in a world where that trust is being undermined, a ‘post-truth’ world where it seems the fabric of much of what we are exposed to is falling apart.

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CH-CH-CH-CHANGES - the one in which Simon chats about some changes taking place in the Academy of Management and the Financial Times, some big and bold...and some less so. Read more: blog.cabells.com/2026/05/20/r... #Publishing #Business #Journals

Two recent decisions in #BusinessEducation reveal a widening divide: one embraces collaboration and openness, the other doubles down on narrow metrics and conformity. Rankings that ignore #research on societal and environmental change risk holding #BizEd back instead of moving it forward.

Research doesn’t happen in a vacuum – and here’s the proof

Within a couple of weeks of each other, two decisions have been made that will shape business research and education for years to come – but for very different reasons. One decision is a bold, risky decision that is global in reach and open in outlook; the other is small-minded and narrow, which nevertheless sends a strong message to those it will impact.  

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