Where on earth to publish? A sample survey comparing traditional and open access publishing in the oncological field

Abstract

BackgroundThe paper intends to help scientific authors to make the best choice of journals in which to publish, by describing and comparing journal features in the area of oncology. For this purpose, the authors identified impact factor (IF) ranking, cost options and copyright conditions offered to authors wishing to publish in full open access (OA), subscription-based or hybrid journals.MethodsData referring to articles published in 2010 by three Italian research institutions (National Institute of Health – Rome (ISS), Regina Elena National Cancer Institute – Rome (IRE), National Cancer Institute – Milan (INT) in journals (78) managed according to different business models, all listed in the Journal Citation Reports, subject category Oncology, were collected and analysed. The journals surveyed were ranked according to IF, position in quartiles, publication charges, usage rights in published articles, self-archiving conditions in OAI-compliant repositories digital archives.ResultsAlmost half (34) the journals surveyed were included in the first quartile, thus revealing authors’ preference for journals with a high IF. The prevalent journal business model was the hybrid formula (based on subscriptions but also offering a paid OA option) with 51 journals, followed by subscription-based only journals accounting for 22, while just 5 full OA journals were identified. In general, no relationship was found between IF and article publication charges, in terms of correspondence between more expensive fees and higher IF.ConclusionsThe issue of OA journals as compared with traditional subscription-based journals is highly debated among stakeholders: library administrators facing financial restrictions, authors seeking to locate the best outlet for their research, publishers wishing to increase their revenues by offering journals with wider appeal. Against this background, factors such as the quest for alternatives to high-cost business models, investments in setting up institutional repositories hosting the published versions of articles and efforts to overcome copyright barriers and gain free access to scientific literature are all crucial.

Riding the Wave of Open Access: Providing Library Research Support for Scholarly Publishing Literacy

“…Therefore, it is vital that researchers are aware of the issues associated with open access publishing. There is an urgent need for the development of knowledge and skills to distinguish the appropriate publishing options from questionable ones offered by numerous open access publishers (Poltronieri et al 2013). …”

Changing Authorship Patterns and Publishing Habits in the European Journal of Pediatric Surgery: A 10-Year Analysis

“…8 In the past, single author was the rule, but over the past decades, the average number of authors of scientific manuscripts has drastically increased. 4,5,8,9 In the light of the everincreasing pressure to publish, the increasing number of authors per article published in medical journals is not surprising. Naturally, the complexities of contemporary patient care, interdisciplinary activities, analysis of data, also contribute significantly to this.…”

Cómo publicar un artículo científico paso a paso

“…• Revistas open access: son revistas de libre acceso para los lectores desde Internet (a diferencia de las revistas tradicionales, a las que se accede por suscripción o a través de la suscripción de la institución -universidad, hospital, etc.-) (6) . Existen 2 tipos, las que están sustentadas por alguna sociedad científica o grupo científico, que se hace cargo de los gastos, o aquellas en las que es el autor el que paga los gastos de publicación (6,7) .…”