The content of Open access journals can be freely accessed by readers across the globe.
Many OA journals have a reputation for high quality content, for example:
OASPA - Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association: Brings together the major Open Access publishers in all scientific, technical, and scholarly disciplines.
OA journals allow authors to retain copyright. For example, articles published by BioMedCentral and PLoS are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence. This allows anyone to download, reuse, reprint, distribute or copy articles from BioMed Central and PLoS journals, provided the original author and source are credited.
If you decide to publish in an OA journal, it is important to carefully evaluate the scholarly credibility of both the publisher and the journal.
Predatory publishers are increasing, so how can you tell if the journal in your sights is legitimate or predatory?
Some warning sign characteristics of ‘predatory’ open access journals and publishers:
It is highly recommended that each journal be carefully evaluated before an article is submitted.
Questions to ask and databases to check:
Use the Think, Check, Submit guidelines below to avoid publishing with predatory and low quality journals.
Remember this little mantra and visit the Think.Check.Submit website which has a checklist under each heading.
Are you submitting your research to a trusted journal?
Is it the right journal for your work? Watch this short video.
Download the TEQSA Predatory publishing: A to Z elements poster below, it's a handy guide to the features of reputable and disreputable publishers.
Another scam affecting academic publishing is the hijacking of journals by illegitimate publishers who clone existing journal websites that "mimic legitimate journals by adopting their titles, ISSNs, and other metadata." Retraction Watch (retrieved Nov 2023).
Consult the Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker list as a precaution before submitting an article.
Recommended further reading: Greenfield, N. M (2023, Nov 20) How journal hijackers derail academic careers with impunity. In University World News.
Many universities publish Open Access journals under the Gold model of Open Access publishing, including Bond University, which publishes a number of quality peer-reviewed journals on the Scholastica platform. The OA journals are featured on the Bond Library website. To find quality peer-reviewed OA journals exemplifying academic institutional publishing explore this extensive list of Australian University OA journals and consider becoming a contributor.
Manager, Scholarly Publications & Copyright
+61 7 5595 1523
acass@bond.edu.au
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