Factors Influencing Faculty Choices for Open Access Publishing
Author Information
Author(s): Stefanie E Warlick, KTL Vaughan
Primary Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore and UNC-Chapel Hill
Hypothesis
What factors influence biomedical faculty decisions to publish in open access journals?
Conclusion
Publication quality is the most important factor for authors when choosing where to publish, while free access and visibility are noted as incentives for selecting open access journals.
Supporting Evidence
- Free access was cited as the strongest characteristic associated with open access journals.
- Speed of publication was reported as important by the majority of authors.
- Authors expressed concerns about the perceived lower quality of open access publications compared to traditional journals.
- Many authors indicated that they are in favor of open access publishing models.
Takeaway
This study found that professors care more about the quality of the journal than whether it's open access, but they like that open access makes their work easier for everyone to read.
Methodology
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with biomedical faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University to explore their motivations for choosing open access journals.
Limitations
The study is limited to a small population of biomedical faculty at two large research institutions, which may not represent other populations.
Participant Demographics
Participants included Assistant, Associate, and Full professors from various departments such as Medicine, Biology, and Public Health.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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