Fresh from the inbox:
Hope you are doing well!
I am [name], managing editor of [a journal I have never heard of and is totally unrelated to what research I do].
Normal stuff, as far as academic spam is concerned…
Well, we are in deadly need of one article to release on 5th of April 2024. Is it possible to support us with your 2-page Opinion or Mini review or Case Reports for this issue?
Nice one, time pressure. Yes, I’m definitely going to work over Easter to help out a commercial entity!⸮ I find this intriguing because I don’t recall the asking-for-a-favour ploy in academic spam. They are asking for help, and sure, who could not write 2 pages to help out?
Obviously, it’s the usual ‘anything’ is good enough, and in this case, 2 pages are really not that long — even at academic typing speed ;-)
However, there’s a bigger point, which should make anyone who hasn’t clicked the “spam” button yet run for cover: A journal lives by its ability to reach audiences, which it does through reputation. A journal with a high reputation is one that is overrun, where they reject many submissions. By contrast, a journal where they can’t even fill the opinion pages probably isn’t a journal with much of a readership.
Acknowledge this mail to submit your manuscript.
Nice and easy. We’ll most likely get told of the handling fee then, or whatever it is called in this case.
The journal claims an impact factor (though it doesn’t appear in the Clarivate’s list), and it’s also funny that you can sign up to become an editor!⸮ Enough time wasted…
Didier Ruedin 