Is open access publication useful for all research fields? Presence of funding, collaboration and impact

Open access (OA) to every research result supported by funding bodies is a medium to long-term goal. This work aims to find out whether OA publication is useful for all research fields, regardless of their specific features. As a sample, articles from the WoS databases from two disparate disciplines (one from SSCI and another from SCIE) are selected, and several hypotheses related to the presence of funding acknowledgements, cooperation and citations are tested. A first look at the general distribution of publications shows that collaborative and funded research obtains a higher proportion of cited articles, and that this proportion increases in the case of OA publications. Moreover, the logistic regression reveals that the probability of finding an OA publication is significantly increased in the SCIE discipline, and by the presence of EU funding, international collaboration and citations. This probability rises with some interactions (e.g. presence of international funding and international collaboration, or international funding and citations). Regarding OA types, Green OA publications are the most related to fund recognition, although Gold OA/Bronze OA articles in international collaboration are also significantly related to financing. Concerning impact, the most likely cited OA type is the Hybrid OA. However, if papers include funding acknowledgements, the Bronze OA and Green OA publications increase their citation likelihood. Similarly, when Gold OA articles include international collaboration, there is a greater chance of citation. With these findings, it is possible to venture that OA publishing will be useful for all research fields, although their specific features should be considered. Consequently, funders should be aware of these particularities to stimulate OA without compromising the quality of the research.