ABSTRACT The study analyses open access publications across the 10 central universities of North East India, focusing on publication trends, disciplinary distribution, citation impact, collaboration patterns, and open access licensing patterns. It compiles scholarly outputs from the OpenAlex API, integrating various data sources such as Microsoft Academic Graph, ORCID, Crossref, and Unpaywall. A total of 28,832 publications from 2004–2023 were collected and analyzed using statistical methods. The findings reveal a positive trend in research output across the represented universities, with an increasing emphasis on OA publications. However, the proportion of OA publications remains relatively low compared to closed access. Citation impact varies among universities, reflecting differences in research quality and visibility. Open repositories such as SSRN, Research Square, and Zenodo are crucial in promoting OA publishing. The study also reveals common usage of licenses such as CC-BY and CC-BY-NC-ND, with variations across universities. The impact on libraries is also discussed, emphasizing the role of libraries in promoting OA, supporting researchers, and contributing to scholarly communication advancement. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, academic administrators, and researchers seeking to promote a culture of openness, collaboration, and innovation in scholarly communication within the region, country, and at the global level.
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