I'm not trying to re-open the open access discussion, but I found this in my inbox this morning and thought I'd share it with you. I don't know how common the practice is-I haven't been invited to join many advisory boards--but I found requirements one and two below very interesting: I have to contribute or otherwise cause to be contributed (and pay, presumably) one article per year, and one article to the Guest Edited thematic issues every two years. That's one way of getting articles, I guess.

The publisher, which shall remain anonymous, is known to produce dubious journals, so I don't think I'll take them up on their offer, despite their generosity in giving me a doctoral degree.

Fred King
Medical Librarian, MedStar Washington Hospital Center
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202-877-6670
ORCID 0000-0001-5266-0279
MedStar Authors Catalog: http://medstarauthors.org

I got a new kitten just to have another password I could remember.
--Paula Poundstone


August 15, 2017

Dr. F. King
MedStar Washington Hosp Ctr
Washington
DC 20010 USA

Dear Dr. King,

[Redacted] Journal invites submissions for research articles, reviews, letters and guest edited single topic issues in all areas of medicine. The journal is indexed in all major indexing databases such as Google Scholar, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Abstracts (CEABA-VTB), Open J-Gate, J-Gate, Genamics JournalSeek, MediaFinder(r)-Standard Periodical Directory and CNKI Scholar.

[Redacted] Journal, being an open access journal offers free viewing and downloading options at nominal publication costs, with the articles undergoing rigorous peer-review process by neutral international reviewers prior to publication.

We seek your interest to be a part of the Advisory Board of [Redacted] Journal, which entails submission of your CV and list of publications, h-index and citations for consideration. In case your field of interest falls within the scope of the journal, which may be viewed at [web site], please submit your credentials at [e-mail address]

Members of the Advisory Board are required to undertake the following activities:

1.  Submission or solicitation from your colleagues of at least one paid article for the journal in 2018 and at least one article annually thereafter.
2.  Contribution and/or solicitation of Guest Edited thematic issues to the journal in a hot area (at least one thematic issue during the next two years).
3.  Peer-reviewing of submitted articles for the journal, which are in your area of expertise (2 to 3 times per year).

Anticipating to receive your response in due course.

Sincerely,

[John Doe]
Director
[Publisher]