Mike Daube taught his Staffordshire terrier, Ollie, an impressive trick—he taught her to sit … on the editorial boards of medical journals.
Daube, a public health expert who teaches at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, wrote up an intentionally ridiculous resume for his pooch, dubbed Dr. Olivia Doll for the occasion, and submitted it to what are known as "predatory" journals, which charge researchers to publish their work.
"Every academic gets several of these emails a day, from sham journals," Daube told Atlas Obscura. "They're trying to take advantage of gullible younger academics" desperate to add to their CVs.
The result: Every journal Daube submitted Ollie's credentials to added her. The Global Journal of Addiction & Rehabilitation Medicine went so far as to make her associate editor.
Olivia's "credentials" include being a senior lecturer at the Subiaco College of Veterinary Science and past associate of the Shenton Park Institute for Canine Refuge Studies (she was a shelter dog) and her research interests include "the benefits of abdominal massage for medium-sized canines" and "the role of domestic canines in promoting optimal mental health in aging males."
And despite this story first gaining attention last spring, as of deadline Dr. Olivia Doll continued to be listed as an editorial board member of the American Research Journal of Medicine and Surgery, and Psychiatry and Mental Disorders—accompanied by the picture Daube submitted of Aussie pop queen Kylie Minogue.
Good dog!
