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Academic scam or vanity press?

11/3/2012

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Don't you hate it when you see an email that looks really promising, that's offering a free lifetimes' supply of... wait a minute, SPAM ALERT! Well, that's certainly what the email from LAP Publishing offering to "publishing your dissertation in the form of a printed book" appeared to be. Is it sad that I can't believe anything I read in emails anymore? Some call it unhealthy skepticism, I call it self preservation and COMMON SENSE.

However, after doing a bit of research, it seems that this is not a scam but "standard practice" for the company. You get a free book, a listing on Amazon.com, and some royalties for other books sold. Apparently if the royalties are too low each month, you receive a book voucher for... LAP Publishing! Wow.
Picture
The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret
(think Terry Pratchett, people!)

Quality control and peer review is also a big issue when choosing a publishing house, and it seems that LAP simply take your work and print it out verbatim, doing no extra editorial work. So it seems that this is a case of vanity press: if you really feel the need to say "I've published a book mwa ha ha, look me up on Amazon" then go right ahead. But I won't be.
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    About the author

    Dr Caitlin Syme is a palaeontologist studying the taphonomy (preservation state) of fossil non-avian dinosaurs, crocodiles and fish from the Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia. Think forensic science or CSI for fossils, and you're on the right track!

    Posts on this blog focus mainly on vertebrate palaeontology and taphonomy, as well early career researcher (ERC) productivity tips and insights.


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