Title |
Open access to scientific articles: a review of benefits and challenges
|
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Published in |
Internal and Emergency Medicine, January 2017
|
DOI | 10.1007/s11739-017-1603-2 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Bo-Christer Björk |
Abstract |
The Internet has fundamentally changed the publishing of scholarly peer reviewed journals, and the way readers find and access articles. Digital access is nowadays the norm, in particular for researchers. The Internet has enabled a totally new business model, Open Access (OA), in which an article is openly available in full text for anyone with Internet access. This article reviews the different options to achieve this, whether by journals changing their revenue structures from subscription to publishing charges, or authors utilizing a number of options for posting OA versions of article manuscripts in repositories. It also discusses the regrettable emergence of "predatory" publishers, who spam academics, and make money by promising them rapid publication with only the semblance of peer review. The situation is further discussed from the viewpoints of different stakeholders, including academics as authors and readers, practicing physicians and the general public. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 4 | 21% |
Germany | 2 | 11% |
Switzerland | 1 | 5% |
Austria | 1 | 5% |
United Arab Emirates | 1 | 5% |
Australia | 1 | 5% |
United States | 1 | 5% |
Unknown | 8 | 42% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 11 | 58% |
Scientists | 4 | 21% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 11% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 11% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Spain | 1 | <1% |
Ukraine | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 154 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 26 | 17% |
Librarian | 23 | 15% |
Student > Master | 18 | 11% |
Researcher | 17 | 11% |
Other | 9 | 6% |
Other | 38 | 24% |
Unknown | 26 | 17% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Social Sciences | 33 | 21% |
Computer Science | 21 | 13% |
Arts and Humanities | 11 | 7% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 11 | 7% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 10 | 6% |
Other | 43 | 27% |
Unknown | 28 | 18% |