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The oligopoly of open access publishing

Author

Listed:
  • Fei Shu

    (Chinese Academy of Science and Education Evaluation, Hangzhou Dianzi University
    Université de Montréal)

  • Vincent Larivière

    (Université de Montréal
    Université du Québec À Montréal)

Abstract

Open access (OA) publishing is often viewed as a promising solution for the future of scholarly publishing, as it has the potential to reduce global inequalities in access to scientific literature by removing paywalls. However, the adoption of OA publishing may not necessarily lead to a decrease in the overall cost of knowledge dissemination, as Article Processing Charges (APCs) can create an additional financial burden for scholars, particularly those from developing countries. Despite being intended as a way to disrupt the scholarly publishing oligopoly, OA publishing has faced challenges in achieving this goal. These challenges were revealed through a comprehensive analysis of OA publishing from 2008 to 2020, as detailed in this study.

Suggested Citation

  • Fei Shu & Vincent Larivière, 2024. "The oligopoly of open access publishing," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(1), pages 519-536, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:129:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-023-04876-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-023-04876-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stephen Pinfield & Jennifer Salter & Peter A. Bath, 2016. "The “total cost of publication” in a hybrid open-access environment: Institutional approaches to funding journal article-processing charges in combination with subscriptions," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 67(7), pages 1751-1766, July.
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    8. Lin Zhang & Yahui Wei & Ying Huang & Gunnar Sivertsen, 2022. "Should open access lead to closed research? The trends towards paying to perform research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(12), pages 7653-7679, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Simon van Bellen & Juan Pablo Alperin & Vincent Larivière, 2025. "Scholarly publishing’s hidden diversity: How exclusive databases sustain the oligopoly of academic publishers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(6), pages 1-15, June.
    2. Athanasios Mazarakis & Paula Bräuer & Isabelle Dorsch, 2025. "Evaluation of gamification as a tool for open access publishing among researchers: insights from a conjoint analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 130(2), pages 1253-1280, February.

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