Research Article: “Imagining a Gold Open Access Future: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Funding Scenarios Among Authors of Academic Scholarship” (Preprint)

The viability of gold open access publishing models into the future will depend, in part, on the attitudes of authors towards open access (OA). In a survey of academics at four major research universities in North America, we examine academic authors’ opinions and behaviors towards gold OA. The study allows us to see what academics know and perceive about open access models, their current behavior in regards to publishing in OA, and possible future behavior. In particular, we gauge current attitudes to examine the perceived likelihood of various outcomes in an all-open access publishing scenario. We also survey how much authors at these types of universities would be willing to pay for article processing charges (APCs) from different sources. Although the loudest voices may often be heard, in reality there is a wide range of attitudes and behaviors towards publishing. Understanding the range of perceptions, opinions, and behaviors among academics towards gold OA is important for academic librarians who must examine how OA serves their research communities, to prepare for an OA future, and to understand how OA impacts the library’s role.

Note

The survey discussed here is part of a larger project called Pay It Forward, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the University of California, Davis, to examine the full implications in an imagined complete gold OA future, including not only behavioral and service implications, but also cost implications to research institutions.

Direct to Full Text Article (Preprint) (47 pages; PDF)
Pay It Forward Project Resources

• Final Report
• Bibliography
• Data Files (via UC Dash Data Repository)
• UC Pay-It-Forward Model Calculation Tool (MCT) ||| Guide
• Pay It Forward Survey Questionnaire
• Previous Version of Final Report