Measuring Open Access Uptake: Databases, Metrics, and International Comparisons

A special issue of Publications (ISSN 2304-6775).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 14904

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
Interests: academic publishing; computational economics; risk assessment

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Guest Editor Assistant
Division of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
Interests: pharmacy; bioorganic chemistry; philosophy of science; history of science; science communication; public health
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In a context where various public policies seek to promote open science, the measurement of developments in this field is the subject of numerous contributions. The intended target is 100% of scientific production in open access (OA). Thus, both in high-income countries and in emerging countries with a strong incentive towards OA (e.g., Latin America), measuring OA uptake is important to monitor progress towards public policy objectives. Therefore, it is imperative to have an OA “dashboard” in order to streamline decisions and support arbitrations in favor of OA.

Measuring uptake of OA is not an easy task. Several factors can affect results and should be considered, such as: disparities in how publications are identified as OA from one database to another; the types of OA that are analyzed; and the types of publications taken into account (e.g., with or without DOI, document types). In addition to the issues related to the data used, the question of the measures/indicators is of particular importance. Thus, OA publishing practices may vary across disciplines. Even if the objective is to reach 100% of publications in OA, the starting point is not the same according to the communities.

A last point, and not the least significant, is that of economic models and the cost linked to OA publications, as "open" does not necessarily mean "free" whatever the model adopted. It would be useful for stakeholders in scholarly publishing to have a reflexive analysis of the different models and their optimality. Insights resulting from econometric viewpoints or agent-based simulations will be warmly welcomed. We would also like to encourage colleagues from different scientific fields (biomedical, engineering, philosophy, etc.) to contribute and report their experiences within the context of the topics raised in the form of opinions, perspectives, reviews or original research articles.

Contributions may relate to the following topics (non-exhaustive list):

  • Measurement of open access: databases and indicators;
  • Analysis of scholarly publishing economic models;
  • Analysis of OA adoption around the world (including in emerging countries);
  • Initiatives and public policies to promote OA.

Prof. Dr. Francesco De Pretis
Guest Editor
Ahmad Yaman Abdin
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • open access
  • economic model
  • bibliometrics
  • article processing charges
  • scholarly publishing
  • databases
  • international comparisons

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 173 KiB  
Editorial
Measuring Open Access Uptake: Methods and Metrics to Assess a Market Transformation
by Ahmad Yaman Abdin and Francesco De Pretis
Publications 2024, 12(4), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications12040033 - 4 Oct 2024
Abstract
In this editorial, we will introduce the contributions to the Special Issue entitled “Measuring Open Access Uptake: Databases, Metrics, and International Comparisons.” The contributions to this Special Issue explore the methods and metrics that are used to assess open access (OA) [...] Read more.
In this editorial, we will introduce the contributions to the Special Issue entitled “Measuring Open Access Uptake: Databases, Metrics, and International Comparisons.” The contributions to this Special Issue explore the methods and metrics that are used to assess open access (OA) uptake across disciplines and regions, a crucial topic considering the growing push by several research institutions worldwide to achieve 100% OA. We will discuss the impact of OA on scholarly publishing, focusing on how economic factors and discipline-specific practices shape its adoption. Additionally, we will examine the transformation of OA models, the citation benefits of a hybrid OA model, and regional perspectives. Our analysis identifies key challenges and disparities in OA adoption and suggests future directions for achieving sustainable and equitable access to research. Full article

Research

Jump to: Editorial

17 pages, 727 KiB  
Article
Going Open Access: The Attitudes and Actions of Scientific Journal Editors in China
by Wenqi Fu, Jie Xu, Qing Fang, Jingjia Ding and Hanqing Ma
Publications 2024, 12(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications12010001 - 22 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4586
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the attitudes and actions of scientific journal editors in China towards open access. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Chinese editors from various scientific journals during September and October of 2022. The results indicate that the editors generally [...] Read more.
This study aims to investigate the attitudes and actions of scientific journal editors in China towards open access. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Chinese editors from various scientific journals during September and October of 2022. The results indicate that the editors generally possess knowledge of open access and have implemented an appropriate open access model for their respective journals. However, the Chinese-language journal editors expressed a lack of motivation to adopt open access, unless there is a reform in the mechanism of academic publishing or a policy is imposed. On the other hand, the English-language journal editors acknowledged that they have no other choice but to adopt open access. This study helps us learn about Chinese editors’ understanding and attitudes towards open access, the current status of open access in China’s scientific journals, and the mechanisms of academic publishing in China. Full article
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12 pages, 1393 KiB  
Article
The Transformation of the Green Road to Open Access
by Joachim Schöpfel, Stéphane Chaudiron, Bernard Jacquemin, Eric Kergosien, Hélène Prost and Florence Thiault
Publications 2023, 11(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications11020029 - 15 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2945
Abstract
(1) Background: The 2002 Budapest Open Access Initiative recommended the self-archiving of scientific articles in open repositories, which has been described as the “green road” to open access. Twenty years later, only one part of the researchers deposits their publications in open repositories; [...] Read more.
(1) Background: The 2002 Budapest Open Access Initiative recommended the self-archiving of scientific articles in open repositories, which has been described as the “green road” to open access. Twenty years later, only one part of the researchers deposits their publications in open repositories; moreover, one part of the repositories’ content is not based on self-archived deposits but on mediated nonfaculty contributions. The purpose of the paper is to provide more empirical evidence on this situation and to assess the impact on the future of the green road. (2) Methods: We analyzed the contributions to the French national HAL repository from more than 1000 laboratories affiliated with the ten most important French research universities, with a focus on 2020, representing 14,023 contributor accounts and 164,070 deposits. (3) Results: We identified seven different types of contributor accounts, including deposits from nonfaculty staff and import flows from other platforms. Mediated nonfaculty contributions (deposits by libraries, import of bibliographic records, migration from other platforms, etc.) account for at least 48% of the 2020 deposits. We also identified differences between institutions and disciplines. (4) Conclusions: Our empirical results reveal a transformation of open repositories from self-archiving and direct scientific communication towards research information management. Repositories like HAL are somewhere in the middle of the process. The paper describes data quality as the main issue and major challenge of this transformation. Full article
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9 pages, 447 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Gold Open Access Citation Advantage in Clinical Medicine: Analysis of Hybrid Journals in the Web of Science
by Chompunuch Saravudecha, Duangruthai Na Thungfai, Chananthida Phasom, Sodsri Gunta-in, Aorrakanya Metha, Peangkobfah Punyaphet, Tippawan Sookruay, Wannachai Sakuludomkan and Nut Koonrungsesomboon
Publications 2023, 11(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications11020021 - 27 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3460
Abstract
Biomedical fields have seen a remarkable increase in hybrid Gold open access articles. However, it is uncertain whether the hybrid Gold open access option contributes to a citation advantage, an increase in the citations of articles made immediately available as open access regardless [...] Read more.
Biomedical fields have seen a remarkable increase in hybrid Gold open access articles. However, it is uncertain whether the hybrid Gold open access option contributes to a citation advantage, an increase in the citations of articles made immediately available as open access regardless of the article’s quality or whether it involves a trending topic of discussion. This study aimed to compare the citation counts of hybrid Gold open access articles to subscription articles published in hybrid journals. The study aimed to ascertain if hybrid Gold open access publications yield an advantage in terms of citations. This cross-sectional study included the list of hybrid journals under 59 categories in the ‘Clinical Medicine’ group from Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports (JCR) during 2018–2021. The number of citable items with ‘Gold Open Access’ and ‘Subscription and Free to Read’ in each journal, as well as the number of citations of those citable items, were extracted from JCR. A hybrid Gold open access citation advantage was computed by dividing the number of citations per citable item with hybrid Gold open access by the number of citations per citable item with a subscription. A total of 498, 636, 1009, and 1328 hybrid journals in the 2018 JCR, 2019 JCR, 2020 JCR, and 2021 JCR, respectively, were included in this study. The citation advantage of hybrid Gold open access articles over subscription articles in 2018 was 1.45 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.24–1.65); in 2019, it was 1.31 (95% CI, 1.20–1.41); in 2020, it was 1.30 (95% CI, 1.20–1.39); and in 2021, it was 1.31 (95% CI, 1.20–1.42). In the ‘Clinical Medicine’ discipline, the articles published in the hybrid journal as hybrid Gold open access had a greater number of citations when compared to those published as a subscription, self-archived, or otherwise openly accessible option. Full article
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