Faculty awareness, use and attitudes towards scholarly open access: A Pakistani perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 612-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arslan Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Large Readership ◽  
Awareness Level ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Open access is a new scholarly publishing model that aims to provide free access to scholarly information to all members of society. This study analyzes the awareness, use and attitudes of Pakistani faculty members towards scholarly open access. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect data from the respondents by using an online survey tool, Google Forms. The population of the study was the faculty members of 21 universities and higher education institutions located in Islamabad. A sample of 3000 faculty members were invited, through email, to participate in the study; of which 616 completed the survey, with a response ratio of 20.53%. Descriptive statistics and (SPSS) version 21.0 were used for data analysis. The findings of the study reveal that, although majority of the Pakistani faculty members (71.5%) were aware of the scholarly open access before this survey, their awareness level about open access-related resources and initiatives was very low. The Pakistani faculty members used open access venues more frequently to access scholarly contents rather than to publish their own research works. A lack of awareness to publish in open access venues, and publication fees of open access journals were the key challenges faced by the Pakistani faculty members. The attitudes of faculty members towards open access were very positive in all contexts. Large readership, impact factor, free access to readers and no publication fee were the key motivational factors for the faculty members to publish in open access journals.

scholarly journals Awareness of predatory journals and open access publishing among orthopaedic and trauma surgeons – results from an online survey in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke Maurer ◽  
Nike Walter ◽  
Tina Histing ◽  
Lydia Anastasopoulou ◽  
Thaqif El Khassawna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Trauma Surgery ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Trauma Surgeons

Abstract Background Along with emerging open access journals (OAJ) predatory journals increasingly appear. As they harm accurate and good scientific research, we aimed to examine the awareness of predatory journals and open access publishing among orthopaedic and trauma surgeons. Methods In an online survey between August and December 2019 the knowledge on predatory journals and OAJ was tested with a hyperlink made available to the participants via the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery (DGOU) email distributor. Results Three hundred fifty orthopaedic and trauma surgeons participated, of which 291 complete responses (231 males (79.4%), 54 females (18.6%) and 5 N/A (2.0%)) were obtained. 39.9% were aware of predatory journals. However, 21.0% knew about the “Directory of Open Access Journals” (DOAJ) as a register for non-predatory open access journals. The level of profession (e.g. clinic director, consultant) (p = 0.018) influenced the awareness of predatory journals. Interestingly, participants aware of predatory journals had more often been listed as corresponding authors (p < 0.001) and were well published as first or last author (p < 0.001). Awareness of OAJ was masked when journal selection options did not to provide any information on the editorial board, the peer review process or the publication costs. Conclusion The impending hazard of predatory journals is unknown to many orthopaedic and trauma surgeons. Early stage clinical researchers must be trained to differentiate between predatory and scientifically accurate journals.

scholarly journals quantitative analysis of the open access business and economics journals

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fayaz Ahmad LOAN ◽  
Refhat- UN-NISA ◽  
Asmat ALI
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
English Language ◽  
Actual Number ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Economic Journals ◽  
The World ◽  
Economics Journals ◽  
Article Processing Charges ◽  
Linguistic Assessment

The main purpose of the paper is to study the publishing trends of the open access business and economics journals available in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The online survey was conducted for collection of data and quantitative method was applied for data analysis. The data were collected from the December 10-20, 2013 about more than six hundred business and economic journals and later presented in tabular forms to reveal the findings in accordance with desired objectives. The findings show that 607 business and economics journals are listed in the DOAJ and are published fromthe 67 countries of the world. The maximum number of journals (88, 14.50%) is published from Brazil, and during the first decade (2001-2010) of the 21st century (382, 62.93%). The linguistic assessment shows that the open access business and economics journals are mostly monolingual (405, 66.72%) and the majority of these are published in English language (498, 82.04%). The results also reveal that the majority of the business and economics journals (415, 68.37%) doesn’t charge publication fees to authors whereas almost one-fourth (147, 24.22%) of the journals demand article processing charges. The study does not explore the whole World Wide Web, but only the DOAJ and therefore, figures do not represent the actual number of the open access business and economics journals available online. The study is very beneficial for the business and economics scientists, academicians, researchers, information experts and open access advocates across the globe.

Open access publishing: A developing country view

First Monday ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer I. Papin-Ramcharan ◽  
Richard A. Dawe
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Internet Connectivity ◽  
Open Access Journals

This paper presents the experience with open access (OA) publishing by researchers in an academic research institution (The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus) in a developing country — Trinidad and Tobago. It describes the two parallel but complimentary paths for authors to enable open access, i.e. of publishing in open access journals and/or self–archiving. The benefits to researchers of free access to information, increased research impact and possible solution to the “serials crisis” are highlighted. It suggests that advocates of OA should consider all possible difficulties that researchers may have with OA, so that these could be ameliorated. To this end, it considers the UWI researchers’ knowledge of OA, their access to the scholarly literature, open access archives/repositories at the UWI and related issues of research and library funding, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and infrastructure/Internet connectivity. It concludes that there are indeed obvious and well–documented benefits for developing country researchers. There are though some disincentives that make it difficult for researchers in developing countries to fully participate in the OA movement. Apart from author–side or “page” charges, the limited number of open access journals in many fields of study and inadequate and unreliable ICT infrastructure and Internet connectivity often limit access and publication in OA journals. Thus, because of technical, financial, human and infrastructural limitations, OA via self–archiving is sometimes difficult for developing country researchers. It concludes that much more should be done to ensure full participation in the open access knowledge community by developing country researchers, including direct technical assistance in implementing institutional repositories (IRs) and more financial assistance and support from international agencies to build the necessary human resource capabilities.

scholarly journals EuroRxiv: a European open science repository

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Moustafa
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Science Movement

Open and free access to scientific knowledge keeps scientists up to date with the latest achievements in their respective fields and to help set up appropriate solutions to health, environmental and technical issues. One of the efficient settings toward this purpose is the use of preprint servers- open repositories that allow authors to post their manuscripts ahead of formal peer review/publishing in traditional journals. The recognition of preprints as an essential part of science landscape are on the rise worldwide.In 2018, a European funder coalition, called Coalition S, has been formed and issued an open access plan, called Plan S, that requires authors of studies funded by the Coalition to publish their manuscripts- starting from January 2021- in open access journals or repositories that meet the guidelines of the Plan S. Many publishers and researchers welcomed the Plan S as a step forward to promote openness and free access to publicly funded research. To further enhance the open and free science movement, I'd propose a European preprint server called "European arXiv" (https://eurorxiv.eu) as a multidisciplinary and multilingual repository that will accept manuscripts (preprints and postprints) in the various European languages and beyond. The project is an individual initiative, but interested people are welcome to join.

scholarly journals Assessment of the interest of an open-access French-language journal specializing in home dialysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-239
Author(s):  
Christian Verger ◽  
Max Dratwa ◽  
Pierre-Yves Durand ◽  
Jacques Chanliau ◽  
Eric Goffin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Open Access Journal ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Home Dialysis ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Medical Publishing ◽  
High Degree

The Bulletin de la dialyse à Domicile (Home Dialysis Bulletin) is a quaterly open access journal, created in June 2018. It adheres to international standards of ethics and good practices in medical publishing; it is indexed in the directory of open access journals (doaj.org). The aim of this work was, by means of an anonymous online survey, to assess its appreciation among French-speaking nephrologists and healthcare teams. The analysis of the responses to the survey highlighted a high degree of appreciation by readers, the importance of using their native language which abrogates language barriers to their easy access to medical or nursing information, the need for practical articles but also recommendations, the sharing of clinical cases. Readers believe that the Bulletin de la Dialyse à Domicile provides them with a source of information to which they have little or no access elsewhere. It responds to a clearly expressed need for all those who take care of patients treated by home dialysis, but remains closely linked to English speakers because its the bi-lingual online publication which give the opportunity to accept foreign  submissions and share experience between countries.

scholarly journals The Scholarly Communications Needs of Faculty: An Evidence-Based Foundation for the Development of Library Services

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
University Library ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Scholarly Communications ◽  
Communications Services ◽  
Article Processing Charges ◽  
The University

Abstract Objectives – This exploratory research seeks to broadly understand the publishing behaviours and attitudes of faculty, across all disciplines, at the University of Saskatchewan in response to the growing significance of open access publishing and archiving. The objective for seeking this understanding is to discover the current and emerging needs of researchers in order to determine if scholarly communications services are in demand here and, if so, to provide an evidence-based foundation for the potential future development of such a program of services at the University Library, University of Saskatchewan. Methods – All faculty members at the University of Saskatchewan were sent personalized email invitations to participate in a short online survey during the month of November 2012. The survey was composed of four parts: Current Research and Publishing Activities/Behaviours; Open Access Behaviours, Awareness, and Attitudes; Needs Assessment; and Demographics. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated. Results – The survey elicited 291 complete responses – a 21.9% response rate. Results suggest that faculty already have a high level of support for the open access movement, and considerable awareness of it. However, there remains a lack of knowledge regarding their rights as authors, a low familiarity with tools available to support them in their scholarly communications activities, and substantial resistance to paying the article processing charges of some open access journals. Survey respondents also provided a considerable number of comments – perhaps an indication of their engagement with these issues and desire for a forum in which to discuss them. It is reasonable to speculate that those who chose not to respond to this survey likely have less interest in, and support of, open access. Hence, the scholarly communications needs of this larger group of non-respondents are conceivably even greater. Conclusion – Faculty at the University of Saskatchewan are in considerable need of scholarly communications services. Areas of most need include: advice and guidance on authors’ rights issues such as retention of copyright; more education and support with resources such as subject repositories; and additional assistance with article processing charges. The University Library could play a valuable role in increasing the research productivity and impact of faculty by aiding them in these areas.

Use of webinar tools for teaching and learning by library and information professionals in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 026666692110039
Author(s):  
Ogagaoghene Uzezi Idhalama ◽  
Magnus Osahon Igbinovia ◽  
Chioma Augusta Ezeabasili
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Ict Skills ◽  
Information Professionals ◽  
Learning Institutions ◽  
Descriptive Survey ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

The study investigated the use of webinar tools for teaching and learning by library and information professionals in Nigeria. The research objectives were to determine the level of ICT skills for webinar utilisation possessed by library and information professionals in Nigeria; ascertain the devices used for participating in webinars by Nigerian library and information professionals; ascertain the webinar platforms used by library and information professionals, and two others. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design and structured questionnaire was adopted as instrument for data collection. The instrument was converted to an online survey using online Google forms which was posted on the Nigerian Library Association (NLA) platform soliciting responses from members of the platform. The survey response summary showed that 109 library and information professionals participated in the study. The data were retrieved and analysed using descriptive statistics of tables, frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that the level of librarians’ ICT skills regarding webinar participation is high (3.40 grand mean), and the majority of LIS professionals studied in Nigeria used smart phone and laptop devices for webinar participation, followed by tablets. Most of the respondents use Zoom, followed by Youtube as platforms for participation in webinars and two other findings. It was concluded that webinars play a very significant role, therefore full adoption and use of webinars in all learning institutions in Nigeria should be encouraged.

scholarly journals Awareness of Open Access Issues Differs among Faculty at Institutions of Different Sizes

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Reed
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Liberal Arts University ◽  
University Of Wisconsin ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Promotion Process ◽  
The University

A Review of: Kocken, G. J. & Wical, S. H. (2013). “I’ve never heard of it before”: Awareness of open access at a small liberal arts university. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, 32(3), 140-154. http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1080/01639269.2013.817876 Abstract Objective – This study surveyed faculty awareness of open access (OA) issues and the institutional repository (IR) at the University of Wisconsin. The authors hoped to use findings to inform future IR marketing strategies to faculty. Design – Survey. Setting – University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a small, regional public university (approximately 10,000 students). Subjects – 105 faculty members. Methods – The authors contacted 397 faculty members inviting them to participate in an 11 question online survey. Due to anonymity issues on a small campus, respondents were not asked about rank and discipline, and were asked to not provide identifying information. A definition of OA was not provided by the authors, as survey participants were queried about their own definition. Main Results – Approximately 30% of the faculty were aware of OA issues. Of all the definitions of OA given by survey respondents, “none . . . came close” to the definition favoured by the authors (p. 145). More than 30% of the faculty were unable to define OA at a level deemed basic by the authors. A total of 51 (48.57%) of the survey respondents indicated that there are OA journals in their disciplines. Another 6 (5.71%) of the faculty members claimed that there are no OA journals in their disciplines, although most provided a definition of OA and several considered OA publishing to be “very important.” The remaining 48 participants (46%) were unsure if there are OA journals in their disciplines. Of these survey respondents, 38 answered that they have not published in an OA journal, 10 were unsure, and 21 believed that their field benefits or would benefit from OA journals. Survey respondents cited quality of the journal, prestige, and peer review as extremely important in selecting a journal in which to publish. Conclusion – The authors conclude that the level of awareness related to OA issues must be raised before IRs can flourish. They ponder how university and college administrators regard OA publishing, and the influence this has on the tenure and promotion process.

scholarly journals Journal editors: How do their editing incomes compare?

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1027
Author(s):  
Janice C. L. Lee ◽  
Jennifer Watt ◽  
Diane Kelsall ◽  
Sharon Straus
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Gender Pay Gap ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Pay Gap ◽  
Journal Editors ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Editorial Work

Background: The work of journal editors is essential to producing high-quality literature, and editing can be a very rewarding career; however, the profession may not be immune to gender pay gaps found in many professions and industries, including academia and clinical medicine. Our study aimed to quantify remuneration for journal editors from core clinical journals, determine if a gender pay gap exists, and assess if there are remuneration differences across publishing models and journal characteristics. Methods: We completed an online survey of journal editors with substantial editing roles including section editors and editors-in-chief, identified from the Abridged Index Medicus “Core Clinical” journals in MEDLINE. We analyzed information on demographics, editing income, and journal characteristics using a multivariable partial proportional odds model for ordinal logistic regression. Results: There were 166 survey respondents (response rate of 9%), which represented editors from 69 of 111 journals (62%). A total of 140 fully completed surveys were analyzed (95 males and 45 females); 50 (36%) editors did not receive remuneration for editorial work. No gender pay gap and no difference in remuneration between editors who worked in subscription-based publishing vs. open access journals were detected. Editors who were not primarily health care providers were more likely to have higher editing incomes (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-7.46). Editors who worked more than 10 hours per week editing earned more than those who worked 10 hours or less per week (adjusted OR 16.7, 95%CI 7.02-39.76). Conclusions: We were unable to detect a gender pay gap and a difference in remuneration between editors who worked in subscription-based publishing and those in open access journals. More than one third of editors surveyed from core clinical journals did not get remunerated for their editing work.

scholarly journals Libertà vo cercando

2004 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. E
Author(s):  
Pietro Greco
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Free Information ◽  
Better Than

Free information works. In the sense that Open Access Journals, scientific journals which can be accessed at no cost, thereby guaranteeing free access to everyone, are at the same time able to guarantee the same quality as –or even better than- that of traditional journals, which can only be read by those willing to pay a price, be it the cover price or a subscription.

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