…Speaks at researching Africa pre-conference workshop

By Adesina Wahab

A lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Dr Gever Verlumun, has argued that Nigerian scholars need to be able to differentiate between fake and legitimate websites.

He stated this during a pre-conference workshop hosted by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

According to Dr Verlumun, the current quest for authors to have their research published in peer-reviewed indexed journals has led to the proliferation of fake journals.

The practice, Verlumun noted, is done by creating fake websites of indexed journals, posing as the original journals and publishing articles for authors at fees without observing the publishing standards.

Articles published in fake journals, Verlumun clarified, are not indexed, and authors do not get the recognition that should come with publishing in such journals. 

Speaking on how to get articles published in legitimately indexed journals in databases like Scopus, Dr Verlumun noted that authors must prepare their minds for rejections as this is part of the publication journey.

He urged authors not to be discouraged when their manuscripts are rejected but remain determined as doing so is the only way to getting published.

Other speakers at the conference were Professor Chidi Ugwu, who spoke on how to write a successful grant, and Dr Odii Aloysius, whose presentation focused on the role of artificial intelligence in research in social sciences. The theme of the conference was “Researching Africa: for whom and to what end?”.