Predatory journals and Indian ichthyology

Abstract

Taxonomy is arguably the world's oldestprofession1 one which is used by biologists for effective communication2 , is essential for reproducibility in biological sciences3, and plays a pivotal role in biodiversity conservation4 Being the fundamental component of biology, it is imperative that taxonomy is practised in highly professional manner, as dubious taxonomy destabilizes the foundation of science, with potentially serious setback in basic and applied research5 Although the 21st century began with a hope that information and communication technology will act as a boon for reinventing taxonomy6 the advent and rise of electronic publications, especially predatory open-access journals, has resulted in and additional challenge (the others being gap, impediment and urgency7 for taxonomy in the century of extinctions.