Open Access Journal Publishing Research Articles

DIALOR (DIgitAL cOaching for fRailty): protocol for a single-arm mixed-methods feasibility study of a digital health coaching intervention for older people with frailty in primary care

BackgroundMultidomain interventions in older adults offer the best opportunity to prevent, delay or reverse existing symptoms in the earlier stages of frailty and improve independence but can be costly, and...

Protocol for a multicentre and prospective follow-up cohort study of early detection of atrial fibrillation, silent stroke and cognitive impairment in high-risk primary care patients: the PREFA-TE study

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Future estimations suggest an increase in global burden of AF greater than 60% by 2050. Numerous studies provide growing...

Bibliometric Analysis and Predictors of Citations for Publications of a Higher Institution

Purpose: This study aims to depict the productivity and impact of publications affiliated with Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), and to identify bibliometric factors associated with the number of citations. Methods: Using keywords and identification numbers, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for all publications affiliated with JUST from 1987-2022. The retrieved data was imported, cleaned, visualized, and analyzed using stataIC 16, Excel 395 software, and VOSviewer software. The bibliometric analyses were conducted for types of publications, year of publications, type of journals, faculties, departments, faculty members, and most cited publications. Networking analyses were also conducted for international collaboration and keyword analysis using VOSviewer. Univariable and multivariable Poisson regression models were conducted to estimate the impact of several bibliometric factors on citation numbers. Results: A total of 16,830 publications were affiliated with JUST and published between 1986 and 2022. The total number of citations was 330,046. The average citation per publication was 19.6 and the institutional h-index was 165. Most publications were original articles (81.8%) and 71.7% were published in traditional (non-open) journals. Publication and citation numbers increased steadily, until 2013, and then exponentially, afterward. ? The Faculty of Engineering had the highest number of total publications (4,593), while the Faculty of Medicine had the highest number of total citations (148,384). Professor Yousef S. Khader ranks first as JUST's influential faculty? with 640 publications and 110,777 citations. Factors contributing to higher incidence rate for citations include years since publication, indexing in Scopus and WoS, reviews, publication in open-access journals, and collaboration. Network analysis revealed significant clusters of authors and keywords, with strong connections to the United States and Saudi Arabia. Conclusion: The productivity nd impact of JUST publications have improved annually for all faculties and departments. ?However, this improvement seems to be limited and can be explained by several factors. Further improvements in research productivity and impact are needed by implementing relevant strategies such as collaboration and interdisciplinary research, publishing in high-impact journals, considering open-access publishing, considering the potential societal impact of research, increasing visibility and reputation through appropriate affiliations, publishing review articles, and monitoring research output over time.

Determining the impact of an artificial intelligence tool on the management of pulmonary nodules detected incidentally on CT (DOLCE) study protocol: a prospective, non-interventional multicentre UK study

IntroductionIn a small percentage of patients, pulmonary nodules found on CT scans are early lung cancers. Lung cancer detected at an early stage has a much better prognosis. The British...

FINDING THE “SO WHAT?”: DEVELOPING A MEANINGFUL CAREER THAT MAKES AN IMPACT

Abstract As a foundation to my social work scholarship, I consistently ask myself a question that my advisor once posed to me: “So what?” In other words, why and to whom does your research matter, and what are you going to do with it? In this presentation, I will show how my scholarship is framed by my practice experience working in Washington, DC for a think tank and advocacy organization. I will describe my approach to merging traditional academic pursuits with public communication and dissemination activities, including publishing in open-access journals, writing op-eds and reports, and pursuing organizational and community collaborations. I will provide specific examples of my collaborative research with local, state, and national organizations, including how we discuss potential research projects and reach mutually beneficial agreements. Lastly, I will describe how I blend this exciting and personally meaningful approach with more established expectations for tenure-track professors.

Knowledge and experience of Zambian teaching faculties with scholarly communication and dissemination practices

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the knowledge and experience of Zambian teaching faculties with scholarly communication and dissemination practices. Design/methodology/approach The researchers used a survey to quickly obtain information about a large sample of individuals of interest. The study population consisted of faculties from two Zambian public universities with research and publication experience. The researchers used random sampling techniques. A total of 125 valid responses were received from the selected population. Findings The findings show that most respondents agreed that publishing in open-access journals increased visibility and readership, had a more significant impact, facilitated collaboration and interdisciplinary research, was cost-effective and provided accessibility. Google Scholar was the most commonly used platform, followed by ResearchGate and ORCID. Research limitations/implications This study’s limitations focus on only two Zambian public universities. This study’s practical implications include improving the universities’ open-access policies and educating faculties on the benefits of open access. Originality/value This study’s originality lies in exploring the Zambian teaching faculties’ perceptions of open access and academic social networking sites. The results of this study can help universities and researchers in Zambia to understand the importance of scholarly communication and dissemination practices and help them implement effective policies for promoting open-access publishing, institutional repositories and academic social networking sites.

Haematological dynamics following treatment of visceral leishmaniasis: a protocol for systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis

IntroductionVisceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease with an estimated 30 000 new cases occurring annually. Despite anaemia being a common haematological manifestation of VL, the evolution of different haematological...

3D2: Three Decades of Three-Dimensional Dosimetry

The development of three-dimensional (3D) dosimetry was motivated by its promise as an effective methodology for the validation of the complex dose distributions achieved by modern techniques such as Intensity Modulated and Volumetric Arc Radiation Therapy. 3D techniques were first proposed in the 1980s when clinics were just starting to move from two-dimensional contour plan based delivery to more conformal techniques. Advances in dosimeter materials, readout systems, and workflow and software systems for the registration and analysis of the volumetric dose data have made 3D dosimetry more attainable, yet to date it has not made major inroads into the clinic. This keynote address will highlight some 3D dosimetry developments over the years, many of which were first revealed through the past twelve International Conferences on 3D and Advanced Radiation Dosimetry (IC3Ddose). These conferences resulted in the publication of more than 130 didactic review articles and over 650 proffered research papers, the majority openly available on the internet (years before the current drive to publishing in open access journals). In this joint keynote address to the IC3Ddose community (at the end of its conference) and to attendees of the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists annual scientific meeting (at its start), I will briefly review the radiation sensitive materials used for 3D dosimetry, the imaging systems required to read out the volumetric dose information, the workflows and systems required for efficient analysis, and the protocols required for reproducible dosimetry, and how the dosimetry has come into the clinic. The address includes some personal reflections of the motivational and practical changes in 3D dosimetry over time. And as we are all meeting in person for the first time in over two years, the address will end with some observations on the importance of conferences for the exchange of ideas and associated debate necessary for scientific advancement.

No Journal is an Island: The John Donne Journal and the Possibilities of Open Access

This paper examines the possibilities for moving a print journal to Diamond Open Access electronic publication. It uses a case study of a mature academic publication, the John Donne Journal, to explore options for a transition that retains a print version of the journal—and thus its institutional and individual subscribers—while at the same time establishing a fully Open Access electronic version. Informed by a survey-based assessment of the interests and values of the membership of the John Donne Society (the journal's issuing body) and by a brief survey of the state of Open Access journal publication in Renaissance Studies, this paper then examines the means by which other journals have achieved electronic publication and the remaining options for sustainable (i.e. funded) Open Access journal publication. It ends by proposing an independent ('hipster') model for the John Donne Journal that leverages the print form as an asset and basis for approaching subscribing libraries to join the journal as continuing subscribers and partners in Open Access publication.

Article processing charges for open access journal publishing: A review

AbstractSome open access (OA) publishers charge authors fees to make their articles freely available online. This paper reviews literature on article processing charges (APCs) that has been published since 2000. Despite praise for diamond OA journals, which charge no fees, most OA articles are published by commercial publishers that charge APCs. Publishers fix APCs depending on the reputation assigned to journals by peers. Evidence shows a relationship between high impact metrics and higher, faster rising APCs. Authors express reluctance about APCs, although this varies by discipline depending on previous experience of paying publication fees and the availability of research grants to cover them. Authors rely on a mix of research grants, library funds and personal assets to pay the charges. Two major concerns have been raised in relation to APCs: the inability of poorly funded authors to publish research and their impact on journal quality. Waivers have not solved the first issue. Research shows little extension of waiver use, unintended side effects on co‐author networks and concerns regarding criteria to qualify for them. Bibliometric studies concur that journals that charge APCs have a similar citation impact to journals that rely on other income sources.

A decade of changes in OA and non-OA journal publication and production

The objective of this study was to explore the trends in the publication and production of open access (OA) and non-OA journals and articles over the last decade. Non-OA journals include subscription and hybrid journals, the articles of which cannot be freely accessed by researchers. To conduct this study, we used SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) data from 2011 to 2021. In analyzing the SJR data, we categorized publishers by the number of journals and articles published. The results showed the following: (a) although the number of OA journals has increased rapidly between 2011 and 2021, their share of total publications is still significantly lower than that of non-OA journals; (b) between 2011 and 2021, the number of publishers of non-OA journals had decreased slightly, while the number of OA journal publishers has increased rapidly; (c) publishers of all sizes increased the production of OA journal articles between 2011 and 2021, but the share of top publishers increased the most; and (d) MDPI, as a born-OA publisher, has become a global leader in OA journal article publishing in recent years.

The effects of nature-based interventions on individuals' environmental behaviors: protocol for a systematic review of controlled trials.

The paper presents the rationale and methods of the planned systematic review to understand the effects of nature-based interventions on individuals' environmental behaviors. There is ample evidence that experiences in nature not only enhance human well-being but also help promote people's pro-environmentalism. Nevertheless, synthesized evidence regarding the effects of nature-based interventions on individuals' environmental behaviors is lacking. This protocol follows the Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The planned literature search will be conducted by using APA PsycInfo, APA PsyArticles, PubMed, ERIC, Education Source, GreenFILE, OpenDissertations, Scopus, and WEB of Science. In the protocol, we present search strategies for each specific database. Data items that we will seek to obtain from the selected publications are described in detail and cover general information about included studies, information about studies' methodology and participants, outcomes of the studies, and nature-based and comparative interventions. The outcomes will be behavioral, including aggregated and specific types of environmental behaviors, as well as reported and observed behaviors. Furthermore, the protocol provides a description of the prospective assessment of the risk of bias in both randomized and non-randomized studies. If studies appear sufficiently homogeneous, we will conduct a meta-analysis using the inverse-variance method. Details of the data synthesis are likewise provided in the paper. Dissemination of the results of the planned review will be carried out via a peer-reviewed open-access journal publication. Given the great need to address current environmental issues, understanding what encourages people to act pro-environmentally is critical. It is expected that the findings of the planned review will provide valuable insights for researchers, educators, and policymakers who are involved in understanding and promoting human environmental behaviors.

Outcomes and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent curable surgery: a protocol for a real-world, retrospective, population-based and nationwide Chinese National Lung Cancer Cohort (CNLCC) study

IntroductionSurgery is one of the main approaches for the comprehensive treatment of early and locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study conducts a nationwide multicentre study to explore...

Assessing the publishing priorities and preferences among STEM researchers at a large R1 institution

The cost of academic publishing has increased substantially despite the ease with which information can be shared on the web. Open Access publishing is a key mechanism for amplifying research access, inclusivity, and impact. Despite this, shifting to a free-to-read publishing environment requires navigating complex barriers that vary by career status and publishing expectations. In this article, we investigate the motivations and preferences of researchers situated within our large research institution as a case study for publishing attitudes at similar institutions. We surveyed the publishing priorities and preferences of researchers at various career stages in STEM fields as they relate to openness, data practices, and assessment of research impact. Our results indicate that publishing preferences, data management experience and research impact assessment vary by career status and departmental approaches to promotion. We find that open access publishing is widely appreciated regardless of career status, but financial limitations and publishing expectations were common barriers to publishing in Open Access journals. Our findings shed light on publishing attitudes and preferences among researchers at a major R1 research institution, and offer insight into advocacy strategies that incentivize open access publishing.

Development of a diagnostic framework and its application to open access journal publishing in Korea

AbstractTo enhance open access (OA) journal publishing environments, this study proposed and applied a diagnostic framework for OA journal publishing. The framework includes three dimensions: OA policy establishment and disclosure, OA sustainability and journal openness quality. By applying this framework to nine OA journals in the field of science and technology in Korea, challenges faced by OA publishing were uncovered. For the dimension of OA policy establishment and disclosure, it was found that participants had lower perceptions of the importance of OA‐related financial disclosure and archiving policies compared with copyright policies. The dimension of OA sustainability was recognized as critical among participants. Finance was recognized as the most critical component of OA sustainability. Financial sources were mostly internal funding and article processing charges (APC), and participants perceived the current financial status of their journal positively. However, they were concerned about long‐term financial security. For the journal openness quality dimension, the participants were hesitant in disclosing reviews and reviewers, which can facilitate the prevention of fake peer review of predatory journals. Based on the findings, the article discusses how the challenging issues identified could be addressed. The results of this study may provide a guide for OA policy and OA system development.

Evaluation of the scientific production of the Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica (UBA-CONICET)

The Institute of Research in Medical Microbiology and Parasitology (IMPaM) of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) was evaluated using the bibliometric tool SciVal to identify its strengths and weaknesses in terms of scientific production. The research areas, the institution's influence in the research field, financing, and available resources were analyzed. It was found that more than 50% of the articles are open access, and it is suggested to encourage publication in open access journals without embargo periods. The most representative thematic areas are related to the institution's social objective, with Medicine, Immunology and Microbiology, and Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology being the most prominent. Additionally, it was concluded that international collaboration is essential for scientific research. Despite its high production of open access articles, IMPaM is below average in Weighted Citation Impact by Field and needs to strengthen international collaboration links and expand thematic diversity to maintain its relevance in scientific research. Overall, the SciVal evaluation provided a useful guide to improve the institution's scientific production and its impact on the international scientific community.

An Investigation of Gold Open Access Publications of STEM Faculty at a Public University in the United States

ABSTRACT This study investigated Gold Open Access journal publication by science and engineering faculty at the authors’ university from 2013 to 2022. Specifically, did Gold Open Access (OA) by these faculty increase, and did the publication rate vary between disciplines? The authors found that Gold OA publication increased by 176% over the past 10 years, and that an important factor was the Libraries’ creation of an Open Access Publishing Fund in 2017. Disciplinary differences in publication rates were also notable, with life sciences research showing the highest rates of open access publication. An analysis of where our faculty are publishing found that MDPI is the most popular Open Access publisher in STEM fields, but many of the new Gold Open Access journals from traditional STEM publishers are also being chosen.

Article‐level Metrics, Transparency and Open Research

Article‐level Metrics, Transparency and Open Research

Funding as a determinant of Citation Impact in Scientific Papers in different countries

Several factors influence the citation impact. This paper constructed paths from funding to citation impact on a country basis. Country data came from Incites® (2011-2020). The (2013 to 2018) UNESCO database was used to define investments in Research and Development (R&D). An overall analysis and analyses by clusters formed by investments in R&D were carried out. Countries that invest relatively less in R&D tend to have less investment by businesses and publish fewer documents. Some differences exist in this pattern. For example, countries in the lowest investment group show higher international collaboration and publications in Open Access Journals. This leads to a higher impact but below countries with the highest investments in R&D. The paths from funding to high impact differed by cluster. While international collaboration appeared in several clusters, the % of papers in Q1 (Top) journal quartile, based on citations, was in almost all clusters. More investments in R&D and open access publishing do not necessarily lead to high impact.

Open access and its potential impact on public health - A South African perspective.

Traditionally, access to research information has been restricted through journal subscriptions. This means that research entities and individuals who were unable to afford subscription costs did not have access to journal articles. There has however been a progressive shift toward electronic access to journal publications and subsequently growth in the number of journals available globally. In the context of electronic journals, both open access and restricted access options exist. While the latter option is comparable to traditional, subscription-based paper journals, open access journal publications follow an "open science" publishing model allowing scholarly communications and outputs to be publicly available online at no cost to the reader. However, for readers to enjoy open access, publication costs are shifted elsewhere, typically onto academic institutions and authors. SARS-CoV-2, and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the benefits of open science through accelerated research and unprecedented levels of collaboration and data sharing. South Africa is one of the leading open access countries on the African continent. This paper focuses on open access in the South African higher education research context with an emphasis on our Institution and our own experiences. It also addresses the financial implications of open access and provides possible solutions for reducing the cost of publication for researchers and their institutions. Privacy in open access and the role of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in medical research and secondary use of data in South Africa will also be discussed.