In response to the Elsevier fake journals und anderen Geschichten, the MLA delivered a Statement on Journal Publishing Ethics, worth to read:
In view of recent news reports regarding the publication of an industry-sponsored journal primarily for marketing purposes by the affiliate of a major medical publisher without disclosure of commercial support or publication purpose, the Medical Library Association (MLA) and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) jointly endorse the need for transparency with regard to publication source and funding. MLA and AAHSL want to emphasize the importance of journal publishers’ adherence to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) policy that all participants in the peer-review and publication process must disclose all relationships that could be viewed as potential conflicts of interest. http://www.icmje.org/index.html – authorship> Notably, the National Library of Medicine has a relevant policy regarding supplements that requires full disclosure of outside sponsorship in order for publications to be indexed in MEDLINE. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/supplements.html
We expect publishers to remain vigilant about revealing sponsorship relationships to uphold and support integrity and honesty in research and the scientific dissemination process.