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.

KEYWORDS:

• Gold Open Access
• Open Access Publishing Fund
• Engineering faculty
• Science faculty
• STEM publishers

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the reviewers who read earlier versions of this manuscript, and provided insightful advice and suggestions for improving the research: Michelle Kowalsky, Rowan University and Kara Blizzard from the Library Writing Cooperative and University of Alberta.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.