Academic journal publisher OMICS Group is facing a complaint filed in a U.S. district court by the Federal Trade Commission that alleges the publishing group is preying on scholars by falsely promoting its journals as legitimate purveyors of peer-reviewed articles, according to an article on Inside Higher Ed.
OMICS publishes more than 700 journals, many with titles resembling legitimate journals. Once accepted, scholars are told they must pay for the articles to appear in print, and the journals make it difficult for researchers to pull papers from publication if they cannot pay or have found placement in another journal.
The OMICS complaint marks the first time the FTC has pursued an academic publishing group in court.