National differences in dissemination and use of open access literature
- PMID: 35943972
- PMCID: PMC9362937
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272730
National differences in dissemination and use of open access literature
- PMID: 35943972
- PMCID: PMC9362937
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272730
Abstract
Open Access (OA) dissemination has been gaining a lot of momentum over the last decade, thanks to the implementation of several OA policies by funders and institutions, as well as the development of several new platforms that facilitate the publication of OA content at low or no cost. Studies have shown that nearly half of the contemporary scientific literature could be available online for free. However, few studies have compared the use of OA literature across countries. This study aims to provide a global picture of OA adoption by countries, using two indicators: publications in OA and references made to articles in OA. We find that, on average, low-income countries are publishing and citing OA at the highest rate, while upper middle-income countries and higher-income countries publish and cite OA articles at below world-average rates. These results highlight national differences in OA uptake and suggest that more OA initiatives at the institutional, national, and international levels are needed to support wider adoption of open scholarship.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Figures
Fig 1. Weighted z-score and normalized map…
Fig 1. Weighted z-score and normalized map of the number of OA publications by country.
Fig 2. Weighted z-score and normalized map…
Fig 2. Weighted z-score and normalized map of references made to OA publications by country.
Fig 3. Correlation between normalized OA publications…
Fig 3. Correlation between normalized OA publications and normalized cited references by country.
Fig 4. OA publication vs. references per…
Fig 4. OA publication vs. references per country income (red dots; average for all the…
Fig 5. Average weighted z-score for green…
Fig 5. Average weighted z-score for green and gold OA publications (left) and references to…
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