petersuberMay 16, 2023

Another article made it through peer review (at #SpringerNature) with the false claim that all #OpenAccess journals charge #APCs.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00381-023-05969-2

Reminder: Only a minority (≈ 31%) of OA journals charge APCs, even if a majority of articles pub'd in OA journals are in the APC-based variety.
https://fediscience.org/@petersuber/109344076065105780

#DiamondOA #GoldOA

Global trends, gaps, and future agenda in medulloblastoma research: a bibliometric analysis - Child's Nervous System

Background Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant primary pediatric brain tumor. Over the years, an increase in published research has been observed on this topic. However, there is a lack of analysis on the characteristics and trends and the socioeconomic indicators associated with medulloblastoma research productivity and impact. Methods The Scopus database was used to search all articles from inception to 2020. Bibliometric information was obtained from Scopus, and bibliometrics diagrams were created using VOSviewer software. Statistical analysis was performed using the GraphPad Prism software version 7. Results A total of 4058 research articles on medulloblastoma research worldwide were included in this study. There has been an increase in published articles, with a steep increase observed in the last decade. The country with the most publications is the USA, with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as the most productive institution in medulloblastoma research. The articles mainly focused on molecular biology, diagnosis, treatment, prognostic factors for medulloblastoma, and research on other pediatric tumors. The number of collaborations with other countries showed the strongest positive correlation with scientific productivity. Conclusion This analysis showed the trend and characteristics of published articles. The results of this study emphasized the need to increase funding for research, support for researchers and physicians, and promote more collaborations with countries and institutions engaged in medulloblastoma research.

SpringerLink
Show threadpetersuberJun 11, 2023

Update. Another piece made it through peer review (at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons) with the false claim that #OpenAccess journal articles "require a fee from authors."
https://www.arthroplastyjournal.org/article/S0883-5403(23)00627-7/fulltext

One problem here is overlooking or denying the existence of no-APC (#DiamondOA) journals, which are more numerous than APC-based OA journals. Another is assuming that when journals do charge APCs, authors always or even usually pay them out of pocket.
https://suber.pubpub.org/pub/j1jk6hu9

#APCs

Show threadpetersuber

Update. Another piece made it through peer review despite the false assumption that all #OpenAccess journals charge #APCs.
https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/10.5334/aogh.3904

It aims to compare methods for accessing medical research in the global #south. It covers subscription journals, APC-based OA journals, hybrid journals, green OA, and even Research4Life. But it doesn't cover no-APC or #DiamondOA journals and doesn't even mention their existence.

Open(ing) Access: Top Health Publication Availability to Researchers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Introduction: Improving access to information for health professionals and researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is under-prioritized. This study examines publication policies that affect authors and readers from LMICs. Methods: We used the SHERPA RoMEO database and publicly available publishing protocols to evaluate open access (OA) policies, article processing charges (APCs), subscription costs, and availability of health literature relevant to authors and readers in LMICs. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies with percentages. Continuous variables were reported with median and interquartile range (IQR). Hypothesis testing procedures were performed using Wilcoxon rank sum tests, Wilcoxon rank sum exact tests, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: A total of 55 journals were included; 6 (11%) were Gold OA (access to readers and large charge for authors), 2 (3.6%) were subscription (charge for readers and small/no charge for authors), 4 (7.3%) were delayed OA (reader access with no charge after embargo), and 43 (78%) were hybrid (author’s choice). There was no significant difference between median APC for life sciences, medical, and surgical journals ($4,850 [$3,500–$8,900] vs. $4,592 [$3,500–$5,000] vs. $3,550 [$3,200–$3,860]; p = 0.054). The median US individual subscription costs (USD/Year) were significantly different for life sciences, medical, and surgical journals ($259 [$209–$282] vs. $365 [$212–$744] vs. $455 [$365–$573]; p = 0.038), and similar for international readers. A total of seventeen journals (42%) had a subscription price that was higher for international readers than for US readers. Conclusions: Most journals offer hybrid access services. Authors may be forced to choose between high cost with greater reach through OA and low cost with less reach publishing under the subscription model under current policies. International readers face higher costs. Such hindrances may be mitigated by a greater awareness and liberal utilization of OA policies.

Jun 18, 2023 at 3:50pmWeb
Show threadpetersuberOct 9, 2023
Update. Another piece made it through peer review w the false claims that most #OpenAccess journals charge #APCs & that #GreenOA must be embargoed. Also makes a new false claim I've never seen before, that journals always hold the #copyright to green OA articles. Tho trying to cover all the major options, it doesn't acknowledge the existence of no-APC or #DiamondOA journals. Same with #preprints. Please don't give this to "novice researchers" as an intro to publishing.
https://journals.ku.edu/kjm/article/view/21169/19219
View of Navigating the Path to Publication: A Guide for the Novice Researcher

Show threadpetersuberDec 11, 2023

Update. Here's a piece asserting that "#OpenAccess publishing is an alternative where authors pay the cost of publication." It's still undergoing peer review (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, #Elsevier).
https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(23)03240-1/pdf
(#paywalled)

We can hope that the journal corrects these errors during review. There are two: (1) the false assumption that all or most OA journals charge #APCs, and (2) the false assumption that all paid APCs are paid by authors.

Show threadpetersuberDec 17, 2023

Update. Here's another piece asserting that "Under #OpenAccess…the cost of publication is shifted from journal subscribers to research authors. On acceptance, an author pays…an article processing charge [#APC]."
https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/fulltext/2024/01000/the_changing_winds_of_academic_publishing_and_o_g.1.aspx

As in so many other cases, there are two errors here: (1) the false assumption that all or most OA journals charge #APCs, and (2) the false assumption that all paid APCs are paid by authors.

It's an editorial and didn't go through peer review.

The Changing Winds of Academic Publishing and O&G Open : Obstetrics & Gynecology

An abstract is unavailable.

LWW
Show threadpetersuberDec 20, 2023

Update. Here's another piece asserting that "#OpenAccess publishing [makes] peer-reviewed papers free to read and reuse, but very expensive for scientists to publish."
https://cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial/news/2023/12/01/open-science-equity/

It mentions APC discounts and read-and-publish agreements. But it doesn't mention no-APC (#DiamondOA) journals or the fact that most peer-reviewed OA journals (≈ 70%) are no-APC. Nor does it mention #GreenOA.

How Open Science Can Both Advance and Hinder Equity in Research

The new US government definition of open science emphasizes “fostering collaborations, reproducibility, and equity.” The monetary cost of open-access publishing and the underrecognized effort of open-source development, however, can disadvantage underprivileged scientists.

Center for Geospatial Analytics
Show threadpetersuberDec 24, 2023

Update. Here's another piece asserting that "In the #OpenAccess model, the individual researcher pays an article process charge (#APC)."
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08465371231219666

Note the two common errors: (1) the false assumption that all or most OA journals charge #APCs and (2) the false assumption that all paid APCs are paid by authors.

Like so many similar pieces, it's an editorial that did not undergo #PeerReview.

Show threadpetersuberDec 24, 2023

Update. Here's another piece asserting "The 2022 [#OSTP or #Nelson] memo requires the publication model to transition to what’s called gold #OpenAccess [in which] the cost of publication is levied against the authors as article processing charges or #APCs."
https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/policy/121423/can-science-publishing-be-both-open-and-equitable

It's wrong that all OA journals charge APCs, wrong that all paid APCs are paid by authors, and wrong that the #NelsonMemo requires journal-based or #GoldOA. It requires repository-based or #GreenOA.

#OAintheUSA

Can science publishing be both open and equitable?

An updated memo from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has researchers, funders and publishers looking ahead

Show threadpetersuberDec 25, 2023

Update. Here's another piece (letter to the editor, from a fellow editor) asserting that "the #OpenAccess business model requires authors to pay article-processing charges (#APCs)."
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-04056-5

Three common errors here: (1) the false assumption that all or most OA journals charge #APCs, (2) the false assumption that all paid APCs are paid by authors, (3) the false assumption that there's just one OA journal business model.

Devise an ethical open-access publishing model

Letter to the Editor

Show threadpetersuberDec 31, 2023

Update. From an editorial: "#OpenAccess publishing…while well intentioned…does result in a publishing landscape where quantity rather than quality is rewarded."
https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcp.15952

PS: This claim is unargued. I think it's shorthand for this longer one: All or most OA journals charge #APCs, creating an incentive to accept low-quality work. The premise on APCs is false. But if restated to speak precisely about APC-based journals (not all or most OA journals), it would be worth confronting.

Show threadpetersuberJan 22, 2024

Update. This letter makes the good point that even authors from the global north are frequently unable to pay #APCs.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00116-6
(#paywalled)

Unfortunately it also repeats two common errors: (1) the false claim that all or most OA journals charge APCs and (2) the false claim that all paid APCs are paid by authors.

Authors from wealthy countries cannot all pay publishing fees

Letter to the Editor

Show threadpetersuberJan 24, 2024

Update. Here's another article that repeatedly refers to "OA publishing" when it means "#APC-based OA publishing". The trend it documents does not arise from no-APC OA (#DiamondOA) publishing.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-023-04876-2

"OA publishing allows publishers to generate revenue during the production process…Large commercial publishing houses have gained increasing control over the OA publishing market, which is moving towards an oligopoly market."

#OpenAccess

The oligopoly of open access publishing - Scientometrics

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.

SpringerLink
Show threadpetersuberFeb 11, 2024

Update. #Subscription #OBGYN journals that flip to #OpenAccess see an increase in citations. Those that charge #APCs also see a decline in submissions from the global #south.
https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijgo.15398

PS: These authors recognize that not all OA journals charge APCs (#DiamondOA). On the one hand, their data only show a decline in submissions from the south for APC-based OA journals. But their imprecise writing attributes it to OA as such.

#OpenAccessCitationAdvantage #OACA

Show threadpetersuberMar 17, 2024

Update. This new study concludes (in effect) that authors with less funding to pay #APCs are less likely to publish in APC-based #OpenAccess journals. But it words the conclusion this way: "Open access [without qualification] may become a barrier to the dissemination of work for researchers who have financial difficulty choosing open access."
"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12109-024-09978-0

PS: This is bad writing. APCs are the barrier, not OA. The article doesn't mention no-fee #GreenOA or #DiamondOA.

Choice of Open Access in Elsevier Hybrid Journals - Publishing Research Quarterly

Open access articles in hybrid journals have recently increased despite high article processing charges. This study investigated the impacts of grants and transformative agreements on authors’ choice of open and non-open access articles by comparing two article types. The samples were hybrid journals launched independently by Elsevier. The results revealed that the authors who received more grants in countries with transformative agreements were more likely to choose open access articles. By contrast, authors in developing countries were likely to publish non-open access articles. These findings imply that authors’ choices depend on the funding systems and open access policies in individual countries. Consequently, open access may become a barrier to the dissemination of work for researchers who have financial difficulty choosing open access, although it enables everyone to access articles free of charge.

SpringerLink
Show threadpetersuberApr 21, 2024

Update. Another article made it through peer review (at #Elsevier) asserting that all or most #OpenAccess journals charge #APCs. It also seems to deny the existence of #nonprofit #publishers.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2024.04.001

PS: But the article is #paywalled and I can only judge from the abstract.

"Publishing houses are not charitable organizations…Hence in open-access publishing, the cost of the publication and the loss of #subscription #profits are compensated by article processing charges."

Show threadpetersuberMay 26, 2024
Update. Here's another unrefereed editorial asserting that all #OpenAccess journals charge #APCs.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13651
Show threadpetersuberJun 9, 2024

Update. Here's another unrefereed editorial criticizing #APCs (criticisms I join and support) as if all #OpenAccess journals charged APCs, or without realizing that most OA journals don't charge APCs.
https://journals.lww.com/annals-of-medicine-and-surgery/fulltext/2024/06000/neurosurgical_challenges_of_open_access_publishing.4.aspx

#DiamondOA

Show threadpetersuberJun 22, 2024
Update. Here's another piece (dialogue between a physician and journal editor) resting on the false assumption that #OpenAccess journals always or even usually charge #APCs.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/this-journal-legit-open-access-and-predatory-publishers-2024a10009pv
Is This Journal Legit? Open Access and Predatory Publishers

Andrew Wilner, MD, interviews the editor in chief of the Neurology journals, Jose Merino, MD, on open-access publishing and the dangers of predatory journals.

Medscape
Show threadpetersuberJul 14, 2024
Update. Here's a piece making the true and important case that #APCs are obstacles to #OpenAccess for early career researchers (#ECR). Unlike other pieces in this thread, it acknowledges the existence of #GreenOA and #DiamondOA. But it limits its recommendations to various ways to find funding to pay #APCs — without offering any arguments against green or diamond OA.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-024-08921-5
Open Access: Opening or Closing Doors for Junior Faculty? - Journal of General Internal Medicine

The Open Access movement has transformed the landscape of medical publishing. Federal regulations regarding Open Access have expanded in the USA, and journals have adapted by offering a variety of Open Access models that range widely in cost and accessibility. For junior faculty with little to no funding, navigating this ever-changing landscape while simultaneously balancing the pressures of publication and promotion may present a particular challenge. Open Access provides the opportunity to amplify the reach and impact of scientific research, yet it often comes at a cost that may not be universally affordable. In this perspective, we discuss the impact of Open Access through the lens of junior faculty in general internal medicine. We describe the potential benefits and pitfalls of Open Access on junior faculty with a focus on research dissemination and cost. Finally, we propose sustainable solutions at the individual and systems-level to help navigate the world of Open Access to promote career growth and development.

SpringerLink
Show threadpetersuberJul 31, 2024
Update. Here's a piece by the senior publisher at @ioppublishing (#IOPP) trying to entice authors to look beyond journal impact factors (#JIFs) when choosing a publisher. It pushes #OpenAccess as an important factor to consider. So far, so good. It mentions high #APCs as a potential barrier, but points to #waivers in mitigation. (IOPP offers waivers.) It never mentions #DiamondOA. (IOPP doesn't offer no-fee OA journals.) And of course it never mentions #GreenOA.
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20240726092407654
Choosing a publisher? It’s not all about the impact factor

As the academic publishing industry evolves, researchers have the opportunity to choose a publisher who is aligned with their own values. While the im...

University World News
Show threadpetersuberAug 4, 2024
Update. Here's a letter from a reader upset that the Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons is converting to #APC-based #OpenAccess. He doesn't like APCs and I don't blame him. But while criticizing the journal for adopting that model, he also criticizes OA journals as such, making the false assumption that all or even most of them use APCs.
https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/10.1308/rcsann.2024.0055
Show threadpetersuberSep 1, 2024
Update. Here's another unrefereed editorial on #OpenAccess. Even after acknowledging the existence of no-fee OA journals (#DiamondOA) and no-fee #GreenOA, it asserts this howler: "OA also has certain disadvantages. First, OA is a paid service, and not all authors can face publication expenses, namely the #APC."
https://insightsimaging.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13244-024-01794-6
Publishing in open access journals - Insights into Imaging

SpringerOpen
Show threadWilliam GunnAug 4, 2024
@petersuber Given that this has been a misunderstanding for over a decade, perhaps what people mean is not "OA is problematic because all the OA journals charge APCs" but rather "all the OA journals I care about charge APCs". Quantitative arguments about the percentage of gold/green/diamond might be influential with policymakers or librarians, but this long-standing misunderstanding shows that these arguments don't reach researchers at all, right?
Show threadWalt CrawfordJun 9, 2024
@petersuber Sigh. And WoltersKluwer publishes more than 150 diamond OA journals (admittedly all within WaltersKluwer Medknow). They should know better.
Show threadJeroen BosmanMay 26, 2024
@petersuber would you know of any journal that applies formal review to editorials?
Show threadpetersuberMay 26, 2024
@jeroenbosman
I don't know of any. But if there are some, I'd like to know about them too.
Show threadWalt CrawfordMay 26, 2024
@petersuber The very first item on the "Recommended" sidebar tells me all I need to know. Ah well, back to work on Diamond OA 2024, looking at the (apparently nonexistent) 12,991 DOAJ-listed Diamond OA journals and the 422,941 articles they (didn't?) publish in 2023.
Show threadpetersuberMay 26, 2024
@waltcrawford
Good catch. I missed that.
Show threadEaterOfSnacksApr 21, 2024
@petersuber Weaponising a toxic environment of their own making. 😠
Show threadJan Erik FrantsvågApr 22, 2024
@petersuber They mention "Platinum OA" but not "Diamond OA". And no mention of waivers, either. I am not impressed. In addition, their description of DOAJ is misleading.
Show threadEgon WillighagenJan 24, 2024
@petersuber what's the count now for the number of articles that get this fundamentally wrong?
Show threadRenkeSiemsDec 25, 2023
@petersuber Ultimately, there is only one rhetorical trick: repetition. Tell the same nonsense over and over again, at some point it will enter the brain without the detour of reflection and become general opinion. Which is what it is supposed to do.
Show threadErtainDec 11, 2023
@petersuber Wow, thanks for sticking with this thread and updating people.
Show threadMark C. WilsonDec 11, 2023
@petersuber It is infuriating how dense some people can be!
Show threadMike Taylor 🦕Oct 9, 2023
@petersuber That is an astonishing level of ignorance in 2023.
Show threadWalt CrawfordOct 9, 2023
@petersuber Also Table 2: I was unaware that traditional journals won't accept submissions from non-subscribers. Because it's not true.
Show threadpetersuberOct 9, 2023
@waltcrawford
Yes, and from the same table, that only subscribers can access the content (even the OA content) in hybrid journals.
Show threadWalt CrawfordOct 9, 2023
@petersuber Maybe it's an unannounced contest? "Find the most errors in a supposedly refereed 4-page article." Wonder what the prize is?
Show threadLisa SchiffOct 9, 2023
@waltcrawford @petersuber So egregious! Seems like it would be worth contact the editorial team. https://journals.ku.edu/kjm/about/editorialTeam
Editorial Team | Kansas Journal of Medicine

Show threadPseudonymous Oct 9, 2023
@lschiff
@waltcrawford
@petersuber
#KJM is #Cancelled party!
If they allowed this mess to be publicized we'll have better results poking someone with influence over them. Where does their budget come from?
How much of a grass roots letter-writing campaign can we get going?
Show threadWalt CrawfordOct 9, 2023
@lschiff @petersuber For me, not going to happen. My disdain for Beall's BS and the whole "predatory" thing is well-known; I lack The PhD to have a worthwhile opinion; I study OA journals but haven't published in them in decades... What little energy I have left is better used elsewhere.
Show threadashJun 18, 2023
@petersuber Have u sent a text to the paper's author(s) (the page isn't loading for me rn) with ur suggestion? They may just be oblivious to DiamondOA; reach out with ur complaint !! :D
Show threadpetersuberJun 18, 2023
@ash
I'll look for time to do that. But the paper's already published and it's a higher priority for me to publicize the error to thousands than correct it for just a few. Also hoping these posts nudge others to publicize these errors as they run across them.
Show threadashJun 18, 2023
@petersuber Thanks! On behalf of the authors, the publisher & the public :))
Show threadWalt CrawfordJun 18, 2023
@petersuber So they're ignoring 17,000+ medical articles in Latin America and 103,000 articles in all? (2022 figures) That's an impressive blind spot.
Show threadKate Nyhan is changing serversJun 18, 2023
@waltcrawford @petersuber Even NLM now accepts Spanish-lanuage journals into PubMed Central.
Show threadWalt CrawfordJun 18, 2023
@kdnyhan @petersuber I'm surprised they didn't in the past (if that's the case). But admittedly I don't follow PubMed Central.
Show threadKate Nyhan is changing serversJun 19, 2023
@waltcrawford @petersuber
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/jf23/jf23_pmc_spanish_language_journals.html
MTIX: the Next-Generation Algorithm for Automated Indexing of MEDLINE. NLM Technical Bulletin. 2024 Mar–Apr

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is committed to advancing biomedical discovery across our databases of biomedical literature, genomic information, and other scientific data. As part of these efforts, NLM strives to produce timely MeSH indexing of MEDLINE biomedical and life sciences citations for the PubMed database. To this end, the Library is pleased to announce the next major milestone in automated MEDLINE indexing: the implementation of the MTIX (Medical Text Indexer-NeXt Generation) algorithm, which replaces the MTIA (Medical Text Indexer-Automated) algorithm. MTIX Technology Although MTIA and MTIX have similar names, they use different technologies. MTIA was a complex system based on a dictionary of MeSH terms, synonyms, and other trigger phrases, with rules created and refined by humans over the course of many years. In contrast, MTIX is a machine learning model known as a neural network, a type of AI.MTIX was trained on millions of MEDLINE...

Show threadWalt CrawfordJun 19, 2023
@kdnyhan @petersuber Well, better late than never...