The impact of open access policies on academic publishing
Funded by a $2.5 million grant from the Volkswagen Foundation, this project seeks to analyze the publishing market and how publishers’ economic interests clash with academic motivations.
Publications are at the heart of scholarly research. They allow researchers to share their findings so others can build on them; they also serve as key metrics in evaluating researchers’ careers. Publishing in prestigious journals can influence funding decisions, promotions, professional recognition and entire careers.
Traditionally, academic publishing was financed through journal subscriptions, primarily paid by university libraries. With the rise of the internet, the vision of free and global access to research gained momentum, leading to widespread calls for Open Access. In response, many funding agencies now require that the research they support be freely available to the public.
The ROARA project will focus its analyses on Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Colombia, Indonesia and South Africa to provide a diverse and global perspective on the effects of open access policies on the publishing market and research assessment practices.
Commercial publishers have adapted by shifting from paywalled models to open access, often financed via authors publication fees, so-called “article processing charges” (APCs), which often amount to several thousand dollars per article. While this allows broader access to research, it also raises concerns about who can and who cannot afford to publish. Author fees can create barriers for researchers from less-funded institutions, disciplines, or countries, while simultaneously generating substantial profits for publishers—often from public research funds.
Collaborators
All research output of the ROARA project will be made available on Zenodo.