International Biographical Centre

International Biographical Centre
Status Active
Country of origin England
Headquarters location St Thomas' Place, Ely, Cambridgeshire
Owner(s) Melrose Press Ltd.
Official website internationalbiographicalcentre.com

The International Biographical Centre[1] is a publisher owned by Melrose Press Ltd that specializes in producing biographical publications,[2] such as the Dictionary of International Biography, Great Men and Women of Science and other vanity awards. It is situated in Ely, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. Government consumer advocates have described it as a "scam" or as "pretty tacky".

Activity

A typical IBC certificate

The International Biographical Centre creates "awards" and offers them widely. In 2004, an award was said to cost the recipient US$495 or £295,[3] but in 2010 the cost could be as high as $395 for a Commemorative Medal or US$440 for a laminated certificate.

The IBC states that "entry into our books is based on merit alone and we never charge for inclusion."[4] It is also possible to nominate a person, an organization, or oneself on their website for later inclusion.[5][6]

The Department of Commerce of the Government of Western Australia classified the Centre's offers as a scam and said:

"The material promoting the International Biographical Centre creates a false impression about the credentials of the organisation. It also wrongly implies that the receiver of the letter has been picked through a special research process considering their work and qualifications."[7]

It quoted blog users who describe the publications as a "Who’s Who of gullible people".[7]

Biographical reference books

  • 2000 Outstanding Europeans of the 21st Century
  • 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 20th Century
  • 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century
  • 2000 Outstanding Scientists - 2010
  • The Cambridge Blue Book
  • Dictionary of International Biography
  • Great Men and Women of Science
  • International Who's Who in Music
  • Men of achievement
  • Outstanding People of the 20th Century
  • Outstanding People of the 21st Century
  • Outstanding Scientists of the 21st Century
  • Who’s Who in the 21st Century
  • World Who's Who of Women

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Dubious awards: Sashes and such". biology.ualberta.ca. Biological Survey of Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  2. ↑ "International Biographical Centre". scamnet.wa.gov.au. ScamNet. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  3. ↑ Hirsh, C. D. (2004-04-20). "Consumer affairs: International Biographical Centre" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Parliament of Victoria. p. 255. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  4. ↑ "About the IBC". Ely, Cambridgeshire: International Biographical Centre. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  5. ↑ "Research". Ely, Cambridgeshire: International Biographical Centre. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  6. ↑ "Submit your Biography". Ely, Cambridgeshire: International Biographical Centre. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  7. 1 2 "Scam of International Biographical Centre". Commerce Ministry, Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  • International Biographical Centre website
  • Photos of some of the IBC medals
  • Rothke, Ben (2009-08-04). "What's What with the Who's Who? Who would be so foolish as to pay for inclusion in a Who's Who book that no one reads?". CSOonline.com. Framingham, Massachusetts: CXO Media.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.