The most crucial step in research involves the selection of an appropriate journal for an article. The research must be published in the most suitable journal for reaching the target audience with the desired impact. However, it becomes difficult for some researchers to make the right choice while selecting a journal. Open access is one of the primary reasons for confusion among researchers.
Open access is a publishing model for scholarly publication that makes research data available to readers at no cost, as opposed to the traditional subscription model in which the readers can access the research data only by paying a subscription fee.
As there are many factors associated with the selection of publication methods, open access is changing the landscape of the research industry and has focused on the principle purpose of scholarly publishing of “spreading knowledge without any barrier”.
Advantages of publishing your research in Open Access Journals
- Widest possible audience
Open Access generates more recognition for the researcher’s work and their university and ultimately results in more citations for their work. Open Access means improved access to research for all.
- Article promotion through the publisher and social media
Open Access journals promote the published articles through free email content alerts, homepage and subject page features, and other promotional activities. They are circulated through social media platforms like ResearchGate, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.
- More freedom
The researchers can freely share their research articles with who they choose while having control over how others reuse their work. They can themselves share the abstract and whole article PDF through the DOIs and URL of the journal webpage.
- Text mining
Open Access gives the readers barrier-free access to the literature they need for their research, unconstrained by the subscription charges for access. While a researcher design research requires understanding and reading relevant research articles. Hence, open access makes it possible to get access to these requirements. Therefore, open access benefits both the author and readers.
- Speed
Publishing in any peer-reviewed journal involves some degree of a delay from submission to acceptance and finally to publication. Generally, an Open Access journal receives a final decision within 3-4 weeks which makes it attractive for the authors. These journals also provide immediate free access and download options after acceptance by the journals.
Though Open access is more advantageous than a traditional approach, there is always a concern among the authors about the perceived quality of Open Access publications. Many argue that open access journals do not hold the same reputation as traditional journals. However, in the last decade, most of the reputed publishers have now opted for Open Access policy (fully open or hybrid) for their journals.
Hence, it is on the author’s part to decide whether to go for an Open Access option or not as both forms have different advantages loaded in their favor.
