We are bombed by a number of call for papers from journals and conference organizers. There are many good conferences but also a number of gray conferences organizers who want nothing more than your money and are not interested in organizing a conference. To navigate among these calls can sometimes be difficult
Linda Zellmer, a librarian from Western Illinois University Libraries, has used CRAAP-test to design a test for how to evaluate calls for papers but calls the test for SCRAAP. The S comes from Scholars and the rest is an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose. CRAAP is a set of questions used to judge information. In this case the set of questions is used on calls for papers.
Some examples from the SCRAAP test:
Currency
- How many volymes/issues has been published? Is the journal new or well-established?
- Is the information in the call for papers correct and uppdated?
Relevance
- Is the call for papers relevant for your field? If not, why have you received it?
Auhtority
- If you look at the previously publised articles, do the articles make any sense?
- Do you recognize the sender for call for papers?
- Are they using e-mails from free provides like hotmail, google, yahoo? Would a reputable publisher use e-mail adress from a free provider?
Accuracy
- Is the used language correct? Expecially if the sender indicates being from USA.
- Control that the journal is indexed where they say they are indexed.
Purpose
- What is the purpose of the journal?
- What does the journal title say? International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology is a very broad title. Is it suspicious?
- Does the publisher have serveral journals with similar titles?
Pieta Eklund