COMPUTER scientists are not the only researchers whose inboxes fill up with invitations to submit papers to previously unheard-of conferences, but they probably get more than most. Researchers Jeremy Stribling, Max Krohn and Dan Aguayo at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were so annoyed at what they dubbed 鈥渟pamferences鈥� that they did what computer scientists might have been expected to do: they wrote a program called SCIgen that generates random papers and submitted the papers to random conferences.
Some might say that the computer field is particularly susceptible to this prank. The first paragraph of one of the machine-written papers contains the memorable, if puzzling, phrase: 鈥淭he notion that end-users synchronise with the investigation of Markov models is rarely outdated.鈥� To explain to the uninitiated precisely why this is rubbish would take most of this page. Nevertheless, the paper, randomly entitled 鈥淩ooter: a methodology for the typical unification of access points and redundancy鈥�, was accepted by the 2005 World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics in Orlando, Florida.
The SCIgen team raised the $390 conference fee in donations. The conference returned this on discovering that the paper was a fake, but the team went to the conference venue anyway and, in another room in the hotel, presented three randomly generated papers that they themselves had not seen until they appeared on the screen in front of them. You can see a video of this, and download the program, at .
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Then the project went international. In Russia, candidates for doctoral degrees have recently been obliged to have their research results published in an accredited refereed journal. As if by magic, the Journal of Scientific Publications of Aspirants and Doctorants appeared, under the editorship of a lawyer from Kursk. It advertised itself with internet forum postings supposedly from satisfied authors.
鈥淧aul Burkimsher received an official letter from the University of Wuhan in China, addressed to him at 鈥淐ERN, the European Organisation for Unclear Research, Geneva鈥�
Mikhail Gelfand, professor of bioinformatics at Moscow State University, was not pleased or convinced by this new journal, so he translated the SCIgen 鈥淩ooter鈥� paper into Russian, added some Russian references and submitted it to the journal on 6 August last year. The following day the journal requested payment 鈥� in advance of the reviewer鈥檚 comments on 13 August and the paper鈥檚 acceptance on 15 August. If only genuine scientific publishing were so swift.
Following a small media storm in Russia, the journal was officially de-accredited two weeks later. Result!
More fun followed. Earlier this year, Philip Davis of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, produced another random paper, 鈥淒econstructing access points鈥�, and pretended it was by researchers at the fictitious Center for Research in Applied Phrenology (CRAP). The Open Information Science Journal accepted the paper, asking a mere $800 for publication 鈥� see 鈥�CRAP paper accepted by journal鈥� at (New 杏吧原创 online, 11 June).
And what computer program did Davis turn to for help in generating his random paper? Why, SCIgen, of course.
No more nameless places please
STRUCK by a New 杏吧原创 report on the sin nombre virus (4 July, p 12), Steve Gissebrecht points out that 鈥渟in nombre鈥� is Spanish for 鈥渨ithout a name鈥�.
鈥淪o is it or isn鈥檛 it?鈥� he asks.
He goes on to place the virus in the same category as the brain structure called the 鈥渟ubstantia innominata鈥� (鈥渦nnamed substance鈥�) and finishes with the dangerous request 鈥淎ny others?鈥�
Here a voice deep inside Feedback鈥檚 nether being cries out 鈥淣oooo!鈥� Our mention of No Name Street and Sans Nom Road on 21 January 2006 led to one of our heaviest-ever postboxes, with an avalanche of nameless streets, villages called Nowhere and a No Name restaurant in Boston appearing in both Feedback and Letters in subsequent issues until we begged for mercy. Not again. Please.
AFICIONADOS of biblical miracles will no doubt be out in force in the east of England in late September. Steve Plater tells us that according to the Cambridge alumni weekend brochure: 鈥淭o commemorate the 900th anniversary of the creation of the diocese of Ely鈥� the bishop of Ely will be walking from Ely to Cambridge along the river Cam on Sunday 27 September.鈥�
FINALLY, health products chain Holland and Barrett鈥檚 flaxseed oil supplement comes in two strengths. The 1000-milligram capsules carry the advice: 鈥淭ake one capsule twice a day鈥� Do not exceed stated dose.鈥� The advice for the 500-milligram capsules is: 鈥淭ake one capsule twice daily鈥� Do not exceed stated dose.鈥�