Abstract
Open access (OA) publishing has created new academic and economic niches in contemporary science. OA journals offer numerous publication outlets with varying editorial philosophies and business models. This article analyzes the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) ( n = 12,127) to identify characteristics of OA academic journals related to the adoption of article processing charge (APC)-based business models, as well as the price points of journals that charge APCs. Journal impact factor (JIF), language, publisher mission, DOAJ Seal, economic and geographic regions of publishers, peer review duration, and journal discipline are all significantly related to the adoption and pricing of journal APCs. Even after accounting for other journal characteristics (prestige, discipline, publisher country), journals published by for-profit publishers charge the highest APCs. Journals with status endowments (JIF, DOAJ Seal) and articles written in English, published in wealthier regions, and in medical or science-based disciplines are also relatively costlier. The OA publishing market reveals insights into forces that create economic and academic value in contemporary science. Political and institutional inequalities manifest in the varying niches occupied by different OA journals and publishers.
Highlights
Open access (OA) academic publishing has yielded numerous diverse economic and academic niches
We aim at increasing article processing charge (APC) by increasing the value we offer to authors through improving the impact factor and reputation of our existing journals” (Springer Nature, 2018, p. 99)
Only 10% of Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) journals have a Journal impact factor (JIF), 44% of articles are published in journals with a JIF
Summary
Open access (OA) academic publishing has yielded numerous diverse economic and academic niches. The new incentives and institutions of OA publishing shape innovation and pricing strategies for publishers, while influencing publication preferences for scholars and academic stakeholders. Prices for OA journals funded via article processing charges (APCs) are set strategically by publishers. The APC-based business model departs from the traditional subscriptionbased publishing model. The subscription model often entails academic journals purchased via “big deal” bundles (Bergstrom, Courant, McAfee, & Williams, 2014; Shu et al, 2018). APC-based OA journals no longer charge readers (represented by librarians who pay for journal subscriptions) but instead directly charge authors. Funding mechanisms in academic publishing shift from reading to writing.. Funding mechanisms in academic publishing shift from reading to writing. Contemporary academic
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