Although it appears as if genuine peer review takes place at Allelopathy Journal, fees are only for Narwal’s pocket. There is no organization, only Narwal. I second all comments made above. I have had nothing but unprofessional and irritating experiences with “Prof” SS Narwal. I have submitted three papers to that journal, and withdrew one from review because the PR was so bad. In every single case, this nonsense, Xeroxed standardized response followed:
Dear Author,
Thanks for submitting your Ms to Allelopathy Journal. Please modify the Ms as per following and attached INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS.
NEW INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
Thanks for submitting your Ms (Manuscript) to Allelopathy Journal. Recently we have made changes for Ms submission and revised the INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS. IMPACT FACTOR : I am pleased to inform you that the IMPACT FACTOR of Allelopathy Journal has increased to 0.846. I advise you to Update your Ms as per these INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS and re-submit at allelopathy_2010@yahoo.com.
1. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR MS: Allelopathy Journal is INTERNATIONAL SCI JOURNAL with current IMPACT FACTOR OF 0.846, hence, we maintain International Standard for Publication of Mss. Hence, the minimum requirements for submission of Ms are: (i). Should have Results of Lab Bioassay, Pot Culture/ Field Experiemnts. (ii). Identification of Allelochemicals in Donor plant material, its Extracts or Leachates and (iii). Studies with the bioactivity (against plants, insects, nematodes, pathogen related to your research) of these compounds.
2. INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS: You have not written the Ms as per Journal Style, Please (i) rewrite the Ms as per attached INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS AND MODEL MSS., (ii). Please send Ms as single File, (iii) Do not insert Tables and Figs in Text, but add after the References, however, indicate their Preferred Position in Text, (iv). Use TIMES ROMAN FONT in Ms. (v). Submit Ms in MS WORD-2003 only.
3. INTERNATIONAL REVIEWERS: To evaluate your Ms, please send the names of 5- INTERNATIONAL REVIEWERS. They should be other than REGIONAL EDITORS of Allelopathy Journal and their names, Postal Address and E.Mail Addresses should be added to Cover letter/ E. Mail of Ms.
4. OUR NEW E.MAIL ADDRESS: Please submit the new Ms at http://us.mc1140.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=allelopathy_2010@yahoo.com
5. YAHOO E.MAIL ADDRESS: We make all Correspondence for Mss by yahoomail, hence, we strongly advise all Authors to open Account in Yahoomail for (i) Easy, (ii) Efficient, (iii) Fast and (iv) to ensure surety of delivery of our mails between us (Journal and Authors). Because many servers in different countries are not compatible with yahoomail, hence, we cannot correspond successfully with such Authors. Sometimes, Authors mail reaches us but our mail neither reaches Author nor return to us.
6. SINGLE FILE: In Ms, add Tables and Figs after References and submit full Ms (Text+ Tables+ Figs) as single File in MS WORD 2003.
7. Please submit Ms as MS WORD file.
8. Please send the Updated Ms within 3 days, so that it could be processed for publication in Allelopathy Journal. Thereafter, we will assign Ms Number to your Ms, for further correspondence with us.
AUTHOR(S) CERTIFICATE
(Please Type on Istitute letter Pad and submit Scanned copy with Ms.)
The Author(s) Certify that (i). The research work presented in this Ms is Original.(ii). Its no part has been copied from research work published earlier.
Author (s) Signature
Full Name:
Postal Adress:
E.Mail address
Date: ……………….
With regards
Prof. S.S. Narwal
Attachment: INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS AND MODEL MSS
Prof. S.S. Narwal
Chief Editor
Allelopathy Journal
# 101, Sector-14
Rohtak- 124 001, INDIA
Ph/Fax: +91 1262-274101
Mobile: +91 9315496321
http//:www.allelopathyjournal.org
It is evident that Thomson Reuters does not assign an impact factor based on the quality of service or on prefessionalism of PR. I do agree that authors should be paid royalties, or be allowed to publish freely and that peer reviewers, that represent the quality control of a paper and journal, should be paid. But, as Mark Goetel indicated, to demand fees after he agreed to review a paper is totally unacceptable and unprofessional.
