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+--- Thread: Dog sits on editorial boards of 7 journals + Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Pseudoscience (/thread-3720.html)
Dog sits on editorial boards of 7 journals + Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Pseudoscience - C C - May 29, 2017
Dog sits on editorial boards of seven journals
https://www.doctorportal.com.au/mjainsight/2017/19/dog-of-a-dilemma-the-rise-of-the-predatory-journal/
EXCERPT: Ollie is in many ways a typical dog. [...] she has a burgeoning academic career, and sits on the editorial boards of seven medical journals. As you may have guessed, the journals on whose boards Ollie sits are of the predatory variety. These are shadowy, online publications that mimic legitimate journals, but are prepared to publish anything in exchange for a fee that can run into thousands of dollars. Predatory journals prey on desperate young researchers under huge pressure to get their research published to further their careers.
Ollie’s owner is Mike Daube [...] Wondering just how low these journals would go, he put together a curriculum vitae for his dog [...] and sent it off to a number of these journals, asking for a spot on their editorial boards. Remarkably, the vast majority accepted Ollie without demur, and her name now adorns several journal websites. Ollie is a trailblazer, Professor Daube says, being the first dog ever to get on the editorial board of a journal. “What makes it even more bizarre is that one of these journals has actually asked Ollie to review an article...."
Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Pseudoscience
http://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2017/the-direct-to-consumer-genetic-testing-fog-column-by-timothy-caulfield/
EXCERPT: There is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing company that gives parents the opportunity to uncover their kids’ “hidden” talents. You can (allegedly) find out if your child has the genetic propensity for things like dancing, passion, intelligence, self-reflection and even teenage romance. The company suggests that this information is valuable because it “will help you take control and maximize the development of your child,” including personalizing “discipline strategies” and career guidance so you can maximize your “returns on your investments” (because, let’s face it, kids are a financial sinkhole).
This is all scientifically absurd, of course. And any product based on the principle of having your kids do what you tell them seems destined to disappoint. Has the marketing team ever met a teenager? But, despite the lack of evidence, these kooky kinds of DTC services continue to proliferate and have become big business....