Journal Publishing Research Articles

Persistent Identifiers for Instruments and Facilities: Current State, Challenges, and Opportunities

Objective: Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) are central to the vision of open science described in the FAIR Principles. However, the use of PIDs for scientific instruments and facilities is decentralized and fragmented. This project aims to develop community-based standards, guidelines, and best practices for how and why PIDs can be assigned to facilities and instruments. Methods: We hosted several online and in-person focus groups and discussions, cumulating in a two-day in-person workshop featuring stakeholders from a variety of organizations and disciplines, such as instrument and facilities operators, PID infrastructure providers, researchers who use instruments and facilities, journal publishers, university administrators, federal funding agencies, and information and data professionals. Results: Our first-year efforts resulted in four main areas of interest: developing a better understanding of the current PID ecosystem; clarifying how and when PIDs could be assigned to scientific instruments and facilities; challenges and barriers involved with assigning PIDs; incentives for researchers, facility managers, and other stakeholders to encourage the use of PIDs. Conclusions: The potential for PIDs to facilitate the discovery, connection, and attribution of research instruments and facilities indicates an obvious value in their use. The lack of standards of how and when they are created, assigned, updated, and used is a major barrier to their widespread use. Data and information professionals can work to create relationships with stakeholders, provide relevant education and outreach activities, and integrate PIDs for instruments and facilities into their data curation and publication workflows.

Gauging scholars’ acceptance of Open Access journals by examining the relationship between perceived quality and citation impact

Abstract Purpose For a set of 1,561 Open Access (OA) and non-OA journals in business and economics, this study evaluates the relationships between four citation metrics—five-year Impact Factor (5IF), CiteScore, Article Influence (AI) score, and SCImago Journal Rank (SJR)—and the journal ratings assigned by expert reviewers. We expect that the OA journals will have especially high citation impact relative to their perceived quality (reputation). Design/methodology/approach Regression is used to estimate the ratings assigned by expert reviewers for the 2021 CABS (Chartered Association of Business Schools) journal assessment exercise. The independent variables are the four citation metrics, evaluated separately, and a dummy variable representing the OA/non-OA status of each journal. Findings Regardless of the citation metric used, OA journals in business and economics have especially high citation impact relative to their perceived quality (reputation). That is, they have especially low perceived quality (reputation) relative to their citation impact. Research limitations These results are specific to the CABS journal ratings and the four citation metrics. However, there is strong evidence that CABS is closely related to several other expert ratings, and that 5IF, CiteScore, AI, and SJR are representative of the other citation metrics that might have been chosen. Practical implications There are at least two possible explanations for these results: (1) expert evaluators are biased against OA journals, and (2) OA journals have especially high citation impact due to their increased accessibility. Although this study does not allow us to determine which of these explanations are supported, the results suggest that authors should consider publishing in OA journals whenever overall readership and citation impact are more important than journal reputation within a particular field. Moreover, the OA coefficients provide a useful indicator of the extent to which anti-OA bias (or the citation advantage of OA journals) is diminishing over time. Originality/value This is apparently the first study to investigate the impact of OA status on the relationships between expert journal ratings and journal citation metrics.

Investigating Strategies for Writing and Publishing a Scientific Article in an International Journal

Writing and publishing scientific papers is part of assessment and achievement at universities. Composing an organized and clear article is essential for the publicity of instructors and students at educational institutions. Many English as Foreign Language learners read informative and well-structured articles to develop their academic reading and writing skills in the English language. Scientific journals assist researchers in depicting their contributions through publicizing research papers. The study aims to explore strategies for writing scientific articles for high-profile journals and it investigates the strategies of writing introduction, method, and discussion components of articles for non-native writers. This research study was conducted through a systematic review design. The researchers reviewed, evaluated, and synthesized the targeted articles. The study found conducting writing and research methodology workshops assist non-English speaking country research to write for reputed journals. Also, this paper finds the merit of publishing in indexed journals; as well as the drawback of publishing papers in predatory journals. Writing is a tough process for native and non-native English speakers; however, perseverance, attending academic writing courses, and critical review of papers make the skill enjoyable for novice writers. Avoiding publishing in predatory journals is compulsory because it destroys the reputation of the researcher. Rejection is not the last stage of publication, review the guidelines again and again to prepare the article for the targeted journal.

Spiritual Intelligence and Spiritual Care in Nursing Practice: A Bibliometric Review

Spiritual intelligence (SI) has recently gained traction in various fields, including nursing. Given the increasing emphasis on patient-centred care and the holistic well-being of patients and nurses, SI is particularly relevant in nursing practice. A bibliometric analysis of recent publications (2014–2024) in the field helps synthesise and evaluate the existing research on SI in the general field of nursing, identify literature gaps, suggest future research directions and raise awareness of the importance of SI in nursing practice. The present study reports bibliometric data (n = 461) from the Scopus database on SI, spiritual quotient and spiritual care in nursing and health care. The data are analysed using MS Excel and VOSviewer software. The publications’ trend analysis revealed a significant increase in SI-related publications since 2015. The study presents top-cited articles. Journal of Religion and Health was found to be a prominent journal with the maximum number of publications, and Sage was found to be the top publisher of journals with articles on SI. Network visualisation reveals central figures such as Wilfred McSherry, Trove Giske, Elizabeth Johnston Taylor, Fiona Timmins, Silvia Caldeira and Linda Ross as key researchers in the field. The United States and Iran have the most substantial connections of authors publishing on SI. This study reveals an increasing interest in SI and care within nursing research, confirming its growing significance in the field. By reporting areas where research on SI in nursing remains underdeveloped, the study paves the way for the development of new or updated curricula in nursing programs. The study can guide faculty development initiatives by highlighting the importance of SI and providing resources for educators to incorporate these concepts into their teaching. This study presents specific research questions to address these knowledge gaps. Future studies which can address these questions will enrich nursing education and practice, leading to improved patient outcomes and enhanced nurse well-being using the full potential of SI in nursing practice.

Examination of Research Conducted on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Science Education

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has been significantly driven by developments in machine learning and neural networks. As AI becomes increasingly pervasive, its applications are diversifying, with notable penetration in sectors such as health, education, social media, robotics, and entertainment. One area in which AI is being deployed is science education. The objective of this study is to examine the research that incorporates AI within the field of science education. By analysing trends in the reviewed studies, this research identifies the countries, institutions, journals and scholars that are the most prominent contributors to this field of enquiry. The findings suggest that the incorporation of artificial intelligence into science education is still in its infancy, with a paucity of widespread implementation. However, there is a discernible increase in the quantity of published works, with an emerging emphasis on the assessment of learning outcomes and the enhancement of academic performance. The findings indicate that the United States is the leading country in terms of publications related to AI in science education, accounting for 38% of the total contributions. Additionally, Türkiye has emerged as a notable contributor in this field, demonstrating a growing presence. The Journal of Science Education and Technology was identified as the preeminent journal publishing research on AI. Furthermore, the findings revealed that GPT was the most frequently utilised tool in this context. In light of these findings, it is recommended that future investigations into the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in science education employ a range of AI tools and explore the development of higher-order thinking skills.

Faculty experiences in publishing in Scopus-indexed journals: Challenges and strategies among higher education institutions in the Philippines

Research is a cornerstone of education, with publication output often used as a key metric for research performance. This study investigates the experiences of Philippine Higher Education Institution (HEI) faculty as they work to publish in Scopus-indexed journals. By exploring faculty members' challenges, strategies, and perspectives, this research aims to inform how HEIs can enhance support for faculty in contributing to global scholarship and advancing academic careers. Using Husserl’s descriptive phenomenology, 12 faculty members from HEIs in Eastern Visayas, Philippines, were purposively selected as participants, with theoretical saturation guiding the sample size. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi's method. The study reveals four primary themes regarding the publication journey: motivation for publishing, preparation and publication process, challenges faced, and support systems. Faculty perceptions of publishing centered around five themes: career advancement and promotion, increased visibility and credibility, personal and professional satisfaction, institutional expectations, and incentives. Key challenges included financial barriers, the rigorous peer review and revision process, submission and formatting requirements, and emotional strain. To address these, participants highlighted strategies involving financial and personal investment, mentorship and collegial support, institutional resources, continuous learning, strategic journal selection, and maintaining resilience. Findings indicate that publishing in Scopus-indexed journals requires a blend of motivation, planning, and resilience, as faculty strive to contribute to knowledge and further their careers. Yet, they face substantial barriers, especially high publication fees and stringent formatting standards. Institutional support—especially through funding, mentorship, and workshops—is vital to overcoming these obstacles. For greater faculty success, institutions should cultivate a supportive research culture that recognizes and addresses the logistical and emotional demands of academic publishing.

Analyzing Data Sharing Policies in Library and Information Science: Journal Metrics, Open Access Status, and Publisher Volume

The objective of this study is to explore the prevalence and characteristics of data sharing policies in library and information science (LIS) journals, focusing on their relationship with journal metrics, publisher volume (number of journals managed by the publisher), and open access (OA) status. The study examined the link between data sharing policies and journal metrics in LIS journals indexed in Scopus. Using secondary data from the SJR portal and qualitative data from author guidelines, the study revealed several key findings: First, a positive relationship existed between publisher volume and the presence of data sharing policies, with high-volume publishers consistently implementing such policies. Second, 50.2% of LIS journals lacked data sharing guidelines, indicating a significant gap. Third, journals that encouraged or required data sharing under certain conditions tended to perform better in metrics such as quartiles, h-index, and citation impact. Fourth, data sharing policies were more common in higher-ranked journals and were linked to better journal metrics. Fifth, higher-ranked journals were more likely to include details on data statements, DOIs, and repositories than lower-ranked journals. Lastly, non-OA journals were more likely to encourage practices such as including data repositories and supplementary files in submissions, compared to OA journals, revealing unexpected disparities. In conclusion, data sharing policies in LIS journals showed associations with journal ranking and publisher volume, with non-OA journals showing higher presence of certain data sharing practices.

Correlation Among Plagiarsm, Grammatical, Artificial Intelgency, ChatGPT in Research Paper of Journal Open University of Asean and Indonesia

From the four variables, namely plagiarism, grammar, Artificial Intelligence (AI) consisting of ChatGPT and the journal publishing countries, namely Open University ASEAN and Indonesia, six hypotheses can be developed. The samples used were 40 research papers from two journals. However, the only one that has a correlation is a negative correlation between plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection. As plagiarism increases, Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection decreases. Conversely, when plagiarism decreases, Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection increases. This is a new problem that researchers in scientific writing must be faced.

Bridging epistemologies: Indigenous Methodologies and Western Journal Practices

This editorial reflects on the role of academic journals in supporting and disseminating Indigenous research. It is inspired by Dr Paul Callaghan’s invited article published in this issue of Advancing Scholarship and Research in Higher Education (ASRHE) which extends on his keynote presentation at the 2024 HERDSA Conference. Callaghan outlines the fundamental differences between Western and Aboriginal culture, pedagogy, epistemology, ontology, and axiology, and suggests how universities can leverage their positions of influence to create improved wellbeing for Aboriginal people and the nation as a whole. The editorial explores prior literature, including the 2021 HERD Special Issue on Indigenous voices, and identifies challenges in reviewing Indigenous research using Western frameworks. It advocates for more flexible journal formats that allow Indigenous researchers to present their work authentically, without conforming to Western ways of researching and publishing. An ‘open’ article category, supported by an exegesis, is proposed, to facilitate a more inclusive and multifaceted understanding of research. The editorial calls for feedback and collaboration to shape a future where journal publishing truly embraces diverse research traditions.

Bibliometric analysis of the 100 most cited articles on cubital tunnel syndrome

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to analyze the 100 most cited articles (T100) on Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (CuTS). MethodsT100 articles were identified using the Web of Science database with the keyword cubital tunnel syndrome on January 10, 2024. Bibliometric analysis included information such as article title, total number of citations, number of authors, author names, country of publication, year of publication, type of publication, subject covered, journal publishing, h-index of publishing journals, Q classification, and impact factor. ResultsThe number of citations for T100 articles ranged between 28 and 183. Journal of Hand Surgery - American Volume (n = 28) was the journal with the highest number of T100 articles. In the comparison between countries, the United States of America (n = 55) was represented by the highest number of articles. The evaluation of the main topics covered in the articles showed that surgical treatment (n = 64) was the main topic in the majority of T100 articles. ConclusionThe results of this study provide insight into the scientific community's interest in CuTS. This study can be a guide for further research and potential solutions for CuTS.

Faculty Response to Journal Cancellations

This paper reports on a qualitative study that aimed to discover faculty and graduate students’ reaction to journal cancellation projects. In most studies that examine cancellation projects the main aim is to delineate methods used in making decisions about cancellations and the process followed to achieve a successful outcome. Our study looked at these factors but also interviewed faculty to get their response to the cancellations that had occurred at their university and to discover whether there was an alignment between the different ways in which librarians and faculty evaluated journals. We interviewed fourteen librarians and thirteen faculty/graduate students from five medium-sized Canadian universities. Our analysis of the librarian interviews indicated that one of their major concerns when embarking on a cancellation project was the negative reaction they might get from faculty. To counteract this response, librarians made a concerted effort to make them aware of the upcoming cancellations and to provide alternative methods to access journals if their important journals were cut. From the faculty interviews we learned their reactions to these efforts and their knowledge of the journal publishing ecosystem. We also had librarians rank the importance of nine factors used when deciding to buy back journals, and asked faculty to indicate the importance of similar factors in their evaluation of journals. An interesting finding was that although librarians felt that citation metrics were the most important criteria to faculty in evaluating journals, faculty did not consider them as important as other factors. In conclusion we found that there was a stronger alignment between librarians’ and faculty/graduate students’ journal value metrics than librarians previously expected providing opportunities for them to work with faculty to find solutions to the current inequitable journal pricing situation.

The genus Haplopappus: botany, phytochemistry, traditional uses, and pharmacological properties.

The genus Haplopappus Cass. [Asteraceae] comprises a large number of species distributed mainly in Chile and with various traditional medicinal uses. The present review addresses the botany, traditional uses, chemistry, biological and pharmacological activities of the genus, aiming to further potentiate the associated research and applications. Literature data on the chemistry and bioactivity of the genus Haplopappus were mainly retrieved from digital databases such as SciFinder®, PubMed®, and Google Scholar®, as well as from the scientific journal publishers' platforms linked with these databases. Although the majority of the botanical taxa of the genus Haplopappus has been understudied, available information is promising regarding its phytochemistry and bioactivity. A total of more than 400 compounds are present in different Haplopappus species, mostly terpenoids and phenolic compounds. Scientific literature supports various health promoting effects of Haplopappus extracts and isolated compounds, principally their effect against human pathogenic bacteria and their high antioxidant capacity. The existing limitations highlighted hereby are mainly associated to the lack of modern investigation regarding a wider number of Haplopappus species and chemical compounds, as well as to the absence of in vivo bioactivity results and clinical trials. Scientific literature supports the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and bioactive potential of the genus Haplopappus, however the aforementioned limitations need to be addressed in order to further promote and broaden both scientific research and future applications and uses.

Awareness and Attitudes Towards Open Access Predatory Publications Among the Academic Staff Members of Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka

The scholarly community is now dealing with a serious issue with predatory journals. It might be difficult for authors to identify predatory publications apart from reputable ones. The purpose of this study is to investigate the academic staff members of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka on awareness of predatory publications and open access. The research methodology used in this study to gauge participants' knowledge of "open access" and "predatory publishing" was a questionnaire survey. Data collection involved the use of a pretested questionnaire. The permanent academic staff members affiliated with the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, university of Jaffna comprised the study's population. A link to an online survey was shared with every one of the faculty's fifty-two academic staff members. The response rate of the study was 67.30 %. MS Excel was used for the data analysis to describe the data in frequencies, percentages and rank orders of responses.Socio demographic details shows that, highest number of respondents are female (57.14%), completed master/MPhil (51.42%), senior lecturer (57.14%) and interested in marketing (28.57%) as their research discipline. Respondents expressed their priority order for the factors considered to select journal to submit manuscript for publications, journal indexing is the highest priority. All the respondents have an idea about the open access publishing system. Respondents are expected to publish in open access journals because of high visibility, increasing citation number, prestigious journals and fast publication process in a frequency order. The result of the survey shows that, 97.15% of the respondents are knowledgeable about predatory publishing. Majority of the respondents are characterized, the predatory journals are, no insufficient peer review process, and Beall’s list of predatory journals used by the high number of respondents to differentiate legitimate journals from predatory journals. More than half of the respondents are satisfied with the services provided by the library to avoid publishing in predatory journals. Responses are summarized for each of the 8 statements about the impact of publishing in predatory journals. Almost all the statements are agreed by the respondents other than the statement of “Articles published in predatory journals are poor in quality”. Highest agreement found for the statement 3 which is “Predatory publications are not considered for any academic reward” in which 14out of 35 were strongly agreed and followed by the statement 2 “many researchers published articles due to lack of awareness about predatory publication” (13 out of 35). Finally respondents are suggested to organize more awareness session on open access publishing and journal selection to avoid predatory publishing.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and scholarly publishing ethics: A content analysis of journal policies

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have received significant attention since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. People are experimenting with AI technologies in different aspects of daily life, including the use of AI tools in the scholarly writing process. Researchers and journal publishers are debating the impact of AI technologies on the quality and accountability of scholarly works. Indeed, scholarly journals play an important role in the dissemination of research and should be advising authors on the appropriate and acceptable use of AI technologies in scholarly publishing. Yet very few studies have examined how journals are providing AI-related guidance to authors. This work-in-progress (WIP) research explores how scholarly journals advise authors about the use of AI in the scholarly writing process by conducting a content analysis of journal policies. Specifically, the study sample was comprised of the top 20 journals, identified using journal metrics provided by Google Scholar in the following subject areas: STEM, humanities, literature & arts, social sciences, and library and information sciences. Policies from these 80 journals were collected from publicly available websites and then examined in August 2024 to assess how journals are currently providing AI-related guidance to authors. The guiding research questions and content analysis focused on the following aspects: 1) The presence or absence of AI in the journal policy; 2) Definition / examples of AI; 3) Guidance on the use of AI for authors; 4) Guidelines about AI for peer reviewers. In this WIP poster, preliminary findings from the content analysis are presented.

Your journal research ‘business’ is going defunct!: a canonical trend analysis illustration

A journal publishing house grows by maintaining and increasing the level of production of journals over the years. As a result, a non-decreasing trend becomes worrisome, because it may mean some likelihood of decline in journal publications. A declining trend warrants an investigation into this aspect, and possible intervention methods for a turnaround to increase journal publications. A respected publishing house in South Africa showed declining trends in its annual yield of various of its journals. The aim of the study was to measure the journal productivity of various journals in a specified publishing house with specific objectives being to determine the level of production over the years; to compare the level of production for the various journals; and to identify the most produced and the least produced journals. A categorical multivariate time series analysis-based study design was conducted. A trend of published articles in a South African oral health-based journal publishing house was investigated for 11-years from 2008 to 2018 in which 197 journals were used. The journals were under the subfields of direct restorative dentistry (DRD), direct restorative materials (DRM), endodontics and paedodontics. Publications of the paedodontics and direct restorative dentistry and materials journals showed a decline over the years, to their extinction. There was no journal on indirect restorative materials, which is a field related to other restorative journals. Merging these could enhance the popularity of a new one. Then, the constantly low endodontics may be augmented by increasing the journal scope.

Editors-in-chief publishing in dental journals: Concerns in self-publishing.

Editors-in-chief (EICs) have a significant amount of control over the publications that are accepted in their journals, which may result in ethical predicaments. This study investigates the potential conflict of interest of EICs from various dental journals by quantifying the number of their self-published articles during their years as EIC. Based on representation across many dental disciplines and high impact factors, 67 EICs from 19 dental journals during 1990-2023 were studied. To keep anonymity, each journal was randomly assigned a letter A-S and each editor-in-chief (EIC) was given the same letter as their journal with a random number 1-67. After gathering the years each EIC served, online library resources were searched to enumerate each EIC's lifetime publications and total self-publications during their term, excluding editorials for both counts. Descriptive statistics were performed to evaluate the results. The results indicate that 16 EICs self-published more than the average of 23.27 articles during their term. When considering EIC tenure, a ratio of self-publications per year was calculated, averaging 2.12 publications. Twenty-two EICs authored more articles annually than the average ratio. After calculating the impact factors of each EIC from the years they serviced their journal, a total of 22 impact factors exceeded the established mean of 2.45. Lastly, when comparing the percentage of self-publications from total lifetime publications, 24 of 67 EICs were above the average. Overall, a significantly increased number of self-publications was detected, presenting potential conflicts of interest for EICs. Therefore, it remains essential to develop clear guidelines and international standards regarding the practice of EICs self-publishing in their journals during their service term.

The politics of journal content: Breadth, depth, flexibility and reflexivity in 25 years of BJPIR

This article reflects on the past, present and future of the BJPIR through a content analysis of all 999 articles that have been published in the journal between its launch in April 1999 and the latest issue in May 2024. By charting ‘core’, ‘secondary’ and ‘peripheral’ pools of scholarship, this reveals a politics of journal content which, in turn, can be used to raise critical questions concerning shifting intellectual boundaries and a changing socio-political context. More specifically, the results of the content analysis focus attention on the twin-themes of flexibility and reflexivity in journal publishing. The central argument emerging from this analysis is that if the BJPIR is to continue along its highly successful trajectory, then it may well need to embrace greater flexibility in terms of reaching beyond political science and international relations, while engaging with greater reflexivity as to societal linkage and relevance.

Race and ethnicity representation in phase 2/3 oncology clinical trial publications in the United States: A systematic review.

20 Background: The five 1997 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) races in the US include American Indian or Alaskan Native (AI/AN), Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHPI), and White, with Hispanic ethnicity. Despite the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandating OMB-based collecting/reporting standards, race and ethnicity publishing in medical journals is inconsistent, despite being necessary to achieve health equity. We aimed to quantify race and ethnicity reporting rates and calculate representation quotients (RQs) in published oncology clinical trials. Methods: In this systematic review, PubMed/Embase were queried for phase 2/3 clinical trials of the 6 most common noncutaneous solid malignancies, published between 2012-2022, in 4 high-impact journals. Trial characteristics were recorded. The RQs for each race and ethnicity were calculated by dividing the percent of representation in clinical trial publications by the percent of year-matched, site-specific incident cancers in the US, compared with Kruskal-Wallis tests with Bonferroni Correction (BC). Reporting was compared between journal publications and ClinicalTrials.gov. Results: Among 1,202 publications evaluated, 364 met inclusion criteria: 16 JAMA , 241 JCO , 19 Lancet , and 88 NEJM . Publications included 268,209 patients (171,132 women [64%]), with a median of 356 (IQR, 131-800) patients per publication. Reported race and ethnicity included AI/AN in 52 (14%) publications, Asian in 196 (54%), Black or African American in 215 (59%), Hispanic in 67 (18%), NHPI in 28 (8%), and White in 254 (70%). Median RQ varied across race (P < .001 BC) with 1.04 (IQR, 0.09-4.77) for Asian, 0.98 (IQR, 0.86-1.06) for White, 0.42 (IQR, 0.12-0.75) for Black or African American, and 0.00 (IQR, 0.00-0.00) for both AI/AN and NHPI patients. Sensitivity analyses showed similar findings upon subset analysis for US-only clinical trials. There was significantly less race and ethnicity reporting in the clinical trial publications compared with ClinicalTrials.gov documentation for AI/AN (14% vs 45%, P < .001 per McNemar χ 2 with continuity correction [MC]) and NHPI (7.7% vs 43%; P < .001 MC). Conclusions: While most phase 2/3 oncology clinical trials published in high-impact journals report race and ethnicity, most did not report AI/AN and NHPI racial categories. Our findings support a call to action for consistent journal policies and transparent race and ethnicity reporting, in alignment with ACA-concordant race and ethnicity federal reporting requirements.

The Influence of Open Access on Institutional Scientific Research Output in MENA Countries: A Comparative Analysis

The release of scientific research has substantial consequences for both the research and the institution in which it was carried out. The selection of publishing methods for scientific articles, such as journal type, quartile, indexed databases, and publishing models, plays a crucial role. Various publishing models exist, including platinum, gold, and green open access. In this study, we examine the implications of open access publishing on reputable journals for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Additionally, we explore the correlation between open access publishing and MENA country classification according to the World Bank. Bibliometric data from Scopus database are used, focusing on researchers from each MENA country. The World Bank determines if a country is low, middle, or high income. The total number of published documents and open access publications are also considered. The study investigates how open access publishing affects university and research center rankings within MENA countries, utilizing Scopus database information. This encompasses the number of open access documents indexed in Scopus and citations from MENA countries. Multiple ranking systems, such as 2024-QS World University Ranking (QSWUR) and 2023-Scimago Institutions Ranking, are assessed. Findings reveal that open access articles contribute to 72% to 95% of citations received by institutions in MENA countries, highlighting the influence of this publishing model. Additionally, the percentage of open access publishing ranges from 32% in low-income countries to 56% in other MENA countries. The study also demonstrates that MENA countries with higher numbers of open access publications are more likely to have institutions ranked in prestigious systems such as QS World University Ranking and Scimago Institutions. It is discovered that the average percentage of citations received from open access publications indexed in Scopus for MENA countries is 82%, indicating the significant impact of open access publishing on academic citations in these nations. We believe that the procedures done in this study for MENA countries can be generalized further for global countries.

Field‐specific gold open access dynamics in the Chinese mainland: Overviews, disparities, and strategic insights

AbstractGold Open Access (OA) journals are crucial for scholarly communication, highlighting the need for a thorough evaluation of their academic influence on different research fields. This study leverages the InCites platform to examine article‐level characteristics relating to 22 Essential Science Indicators (ESI) research fields, with a focus on the dynamics of gold OA articles, including gold OA uptake in the Chinese mainland and gold OA adoption in the domestic English‐language academic journal publishing of the Chinese mainland. The findings reveal that disparities in gold OA adoption across 22 ESI fields are more pronounced in the Chinese mainland compared with the world scenario. In the Chinese mainland, there is a significant polarization in gold OA publishing volumes across different ESI fields, particularly in Chemistry, Clinical Medicine, and Engineering. This study builds on the understanding of OA citation advantage (OACA) by incorporating gold OA publishing volume into a two‐dimensional framework, resulting in the development of a “distance” metric. It further categorizes gold OA citation effects into four quadrants: positive citation effects (quadrants A and B) and negative citation effects (quadrants C and D), based on category normalized citation impact (CNCI) and journal normalized citation impact (JNCI) indicators from the InCites database. The findings underscore the importance of developing tailored strategies to address field‐specific challenges and promote gold OA dynamics in the Chinese mainland; while prioritizing high‐quality gold OA journals is essential for fostering gold OA development in the rest of the world.