▁maintain s ▁" Pe er - review ▁is ▁under ▁the ▁responsibility ▁of ▁the ▁conference ▁organiz ers ." ▁ ▁Cont ro vers y ▁Else vier ▁formerly ▁published ▁Pro ced ia ▁- ▁Social ▁and ▁Be havior al ▁Sciences ▁in ▁which ▁authors ▁were ▁permitted ▁to ▁directly ▁self - publish . ▁The ▁only ▁requirements ▁for ▁publishing ▁in ▁this ▁journal ▁were ▁to ▁grant ▁Else vier ▁exclusive ▁publishing ▁rights , ▁to ▁promise ▁the ▁paper ▁would ▁be ▁peer ▁review ed ▁at ▁some ▁point ▁in ▁the ▁future ▁and ▁to ▁promise ▁the ▁paper ▁was ▁their ▁own ▁original ▁work ▁and ▁of ▁course , ▁pay ▁the ▁publishing ▁fee . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 8 , ▁Alban ia ▁was ▁hit ▁with ▁a ▁sc andal ▁in ▁which ▁high ▁ranking ▁polit icians ▁had ▁f aked ▁their ▁academic ▁credentials ▁by ▁publishing ▁fra ud ul ent ▁articles ▁in ▁Pro ced ia . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 1 , ▁Iran ian ▁political ▁prisoner ▁and ▁myst ic , ▁Moh amm ad ▁Ali ▁T ah eri , ▁was ▁sent enced ▁to ▁a ▁five ▁year ▁prison ▁sentence . ▁Among ▁his ▁charges ▁were ▁" inter fer ing ▁in ▁medical ▁science " ▁and ▁" il leg it imate ▁use ▁of ▁academic ▁titles ". ▁Many ▁of ▁his ▁claims ▁of ▁medical ▁research ▁were ▁published ▁in ▁Pro ced ia ▁- ▁Social ▁and ▁Be havior al ▁Sciences . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 7 ▁it ▁was ▁discovered ▁that ▁a ▁fake ▁example ▁reference ▁listed ▁on ▁Else vier ' s ▁c itation ▁guide ▁had ▁been ▁c ited ▁over ▁ 4 0 0 ▁times ▁in ▁published ▁articles