New Predatory Publishing Guide

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Did you know that predatory publishers and organizers of predatory conferences prioritize profit over scholarly integrity? 

The recently launched Predatory Publishing Guide addresses the “what,” “why” and “how” of predatory publishers and predatory conference organizers. Risks include: 

  • Lack of peer review 
  • Limited visibility 
  • Impact 
  • Reputation damage to the author, conference participant, and institution 
  • Ethical concerns 
  • Copyright 

Efforts to fight predatory publishing require collaboration and support. Start with the Publishing Red Flags Handout Red Flags Handout. Additional tools and resources to identify predatory publishers and predatory conference organizers include: 

  • Cabell’s Predatory Journals 
  • Predatory Journal Checklist – created to assist researchers/scholars make an informed decision about where to publish. 
  • Think.Check.Submit – an international initiative to educate researchers/scholars in choosing a reputable Open Access journal.  
  • Conference Checker – the short questionnaire is designed to help to determine whether or not a conference is legitimate.  
  • Think, Check, Attend – an initiative to guide and assist researchers/scholars in choosing trusted conferences to attend and to present their research.  
  • Pivot – use as a starting point to review information and deadlines for open calls for papers from forthcoming conferences.  

Questions? Feedback? Use the Ask Us form or call 214-648-2001 Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. 

Updated changes to ProQuest Ebook Central

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Over the last month, ProQuest has shared news about enhancements and changes that either have already been applied or will be coming soon to their ebook platform, ProQuest Ebook Central.

Ebook Central Research Assistant

This tool launched in beta on the platform on April 3rd and offers readers the opportunity to:

  • Assess content relevance faster with chapter-level takeaways
  • Deepen understanding with key concept highlights 
  • Discover related resources within your Ebook Central collection

This tool is seamlessly integrated into Ebook Central for owned and subscribed titles.

Ebook Central EPUB (Electronic Publication)

Starting May 1, 2025, Electronic Publications (EPUBs) will become the default display format in Ebook Central’s online reader instead of PDF. This change is being made to create a more accessible, user-friendly experience on the platform – especially for readers using assistive technologies.

EPUB is a responsive, flexible format that adapts to different screen sizes, supports interactive features, and works more effectively with screen readers. It also aligns with evolving accessibility standards and legislation.

Users will continue to enjoy a seamless reading experience, now with added flexibility to switch between EPUB and PDF with our online reader. However, please note that anyone who has referenced specific page numbers in materials may see some differences, as EPUB’s reflowable (responsive) format adapts to screen size.

How the Archives contributes to campus sustainability initiatives

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The UT Southwestern Archives goes to great lengths to create sustainability when we deaccession or weed items from our collections. We consider what the item is and then determine the best action of recycling for it. With the help of the Sustainability Coordinator, we identified a company willing to recycle not only VHS, Betamax, and U-Matic tapes but also audiocassettes, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs: this means that we do not send pounds of plastic to the landfill after the materials have been digitized. Additionally, we either donate the books we weed or work to properly recycle the ones that cannot be donated. These are just some of the efforts we make to preserve our planet.

Is a reference manager by any other name just as sweet? (EndNote vs. Zotero)

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Because many people have used Zotero while at their previous institutions, the Library is providing a new class that compares EndNote with Zotero. This class is intended to help those who are familiar with Zotero but would like to learn about the differences and similarities between the platforms.

The class will be held virtually on Tuesday, April 15, at 12 p.m., and registration is required. (Note: If you are interested in this training but can’t attend, please register anyway, and we will send you a link to the recording.)

Attention, researchers! Evidence Synthesis Essentials: A Three-Part Instructional Series 

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Are you considering undertaking a systematic review or another type of evidence synthesis, but you do not know where to start? Are you currently working on a review and need a refresher? If so, your Library is here to help.

The Library’s instruction team has adapted the single “Introduction to Systematic Reviews” session into a more digestible series this spring. This 3-part series will guide you through the entire evidence synthesis process: from PICO question formulation and protocol development to systematic searching techniques to data extraction and synthesis. We will highlight databases and tools to assist you and streamline your project.  

If you are interested, click on the links below to register for individual sessions. If you cannot attend the sessions, you can still register so that you will receive the recordings.

Evidence Synthesis Essentials, Part 1: From PICO to Protocol

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

1 – 2 p.m.

Evidence Synthesis Essentials, Part 2: Systematic Searching Techniques

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

1 – 2 p.m.

Evidence Synthesis Essentials, Part 3: Screening, Extracting, and Synthesis

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

1 – 2 p.m.

New antique medicine display at Outpatient Clinic

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At the beginning of each year, staff in the Special Collections Library & Archives exchange the items on display in the Outpatient Building on West Campus, and our newest exhibit features selections of antique medicine cases and medicines from our Medical Artifacts Collection. Several pieces were previously displayed in the main library, but by moving these items to the Outpatient Building, we are able to share the archives with more of our campus community.

Additional open access opportunities for UT Southwestern authors

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Two publishers have adopted a Subscribe to Open (S2O) model for their primary research journals, starting in 2025. Through this model, when a library renews its journal subscriptions, an institution’s authors are able to publish in it without incurring article processing charges (APCs).

The specific publishers we are highlighting today are as follows:

  • American Physiological Society: UT Southwestern corresponding authors may publish articles in one of the society’s 10 primary research journals with no APCs, and the published articles will be published as open access.
  • American Society for Microbiology: The S2O model has been adopted for the society’s six primary research journals, and UT Southwestern authors will benefit from uncapped open access publishing without incurring APCs. Page charges and supplemental material fees will apply, but discounts are available for authors courtesy of the Library’s current subscription.

Please note: If enough libraries renew subscriptions under this model, the journals are converted to open in their entirety for all readers. If not, the access to the journals remains restricted to subscribing institutions.

For more information or to review other open access opportunities, please see the Library’s APC Guide.

New illustration exhibit in the Library

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The Library’s exhibit space now features a selection of books, illustrations, and art focused on medicine and doctors. The works span two centuries and come from several of the archive’s collections, including the History of Medicine Collection, the Biomedical Communications Collection, and the Medical Artifacts Collection. The pieces on display are not only reference works; some also capture the public’s view of doctors and the field of medicine, contemporary to the time they were created.

The pieces meant for training include human figures from France in the 19th century, oil painting and charcoal works by our own Lewis Waters that capture human anatomy, and depictions of surgical procedures. There are also hand-drawn illustrations from local news cartoonists of the 1940s through the 1960s, prints from French caricature artists, and prints from Vanity Fair’s series on the important men and women of science.

Start using First Aid Forward!

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The Library is beginning a new subscription in 2025 to McGraw Hill’s First Aid Forward, which is an interactive learning resource that leverages the First Aid book content students have relied on for decades, in a digital platform. Trial access to the platform has been enabled through January 31, 2025, while the subscription terms are being negotiated.

To get started, users will need to create a personal account using the following instructions:

  1. Click on the registration link for First Aid Forward: Step 1 or First Aid Forward: Step 2.
  2. Follow the prompts to create or sign into your account. Important: Use your utsouthwestern.edu email address.
  3. You will be sent a “magic link” via email.
  4. Click on the “magic link” to sign into First Aid Forward. You now have access!
  5. If you would like access to both Step 1 and Step 2, repeat steps #1-4 using the other registration link to add the second product to your account. You will then be able to toggle between them from the First Aid Forward home page.