Selecting An Open Access Journal for Publication: Be Cautious

Abstract

Nurse scholars and clinicians seek to publish their research and scholarly findings to strengthen both nursing science and clinical practice. Traditionally subscription-based publications have been the mainstay of knowledge dissemination. However, subscription costs have tended to restrict access to many journals to a small, specialized, academic community, a limitation that has contributed to the development of open access (OA) publications. OA journals have a powerful appeal as they allow greater access to scholars and consumers on a global level. However, many OA journals depend on an author-pays model that may lead to unintended and undesirable consequences for authors. Today, it is easier than ever to share scholarly findings, but authors need to be vigilant when selecting a journal in which to publish. In this article, we discuss the background of open access journals and describe key consideration to distinguish between reputable publications and those that may lead authors astray. We conclude that despite controversy and concerns related to publishing in OA journals, these journals do provide opportunities for researchers and clinicians to raise the profile of their work and ensure a robust, scholarly communication system.

Tracing scientific outputs in the osteoarthritis research field in China based on publications in the Web of Science

“…From the source journals of Chinese OA research papers, most scholars choose comprehensive open access journals with a relatively weak influence [ 15 ], such as the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE, MOLECULAR MEDICINE REPORTS and PLOS ONE. As shown in Table 4 , Chinese scholars have not published as many articles as scholars from other countries (the US, England, Germany, etc.)…”