Open Access Subject Guide: Issues and Concerns

Doubt about quality and quality-control is one reason authors may be reluctant to publish in OA journals.

Peer review

• The open access movement was founded on scholarly, peer reviewed content.
• Most OA journals are peer reviewed.
• The peer review process in OA journals has the same quality control as in traditional journals.
• Many hybrid journals only take payment after manuscript has been accepted.
• This avoids any perceived influence or conflict of interest.

Prestige & quality

• Prestige and reputation build over time; most OA journals are relatively new.
• A lack of prestige does not in itself preclude quality.
• OA journals vary in quality in the same way as subscription-based journals.
• The prestige of authors, editors and referees impact on journal quality.
• Apply the same criteria to judge quality as when selecting from traditional publishers.

"Predatory" publishers

• Some publishers may claim to produce scholarly, OA journals but in fact produce low-quality, profit-driven journals via unethical practices.
• These journals take advantage of researchers’ need to publish.
• Predatory publishers may scam publication fees and falsely claim that they provide peer-review.
• Researchers need to be wary of low-quality in both open access and traditional publishers.

Courtesy of Curtin University Library

The impact of making material accessible via open access is another point for consideration.

Journal Impact factors

• Impact Factors vary in both traditional and OA journals.
• As OA journals tend to be newer they may not have an Impact Factor.
• Impact Factors also tend to be lower in newer journals.
• Some OA journals are amongst the highest-ranked in their discipline e.g. PLoS Biology and PLoS Pathogens.

Maximise citation potential

• Limiting to subscription-only access reduces the number of potential readers.
• Making material available via open access may increase the number of citations.
• The level of advantage may vary between disciplines.
• Publishing in an open access journal, or depositing a copy into espace broadens the reach and potential impact of the publications.

Courtesy of Curtin University Library

What version to self-archive

• Approximately 65% of publishers allow some form of self-archiving into a repository.
• What can be made available, and where, will be dependent on the publisher and journal guidelines on re-use of copyright assignment.
• Sometimes the published version of an article can be made open access, or a publisher may require a different version be used
• There may be an embargo period between the time the article is published and when it can be made available via open access.
• To determine the journal's open access policy, visit OAKList or SHERPA/RoMEO.

Courtesy of Curtin University Library

From CDU Library Referencing Guide: APA

From  CDU Library Referencing Guide: Harvard