Study reveals biggest barrier to OA publishing in physical sciences

Findings are from a new global study ‘OA in physics: researcher perspectives’ commissioned by learned society physics publishers AIP Publishing, the American Physical Society (APS), IOP Publishing (IOPP) and Optica Publishing Group (formerly OSA).

According to the study, over half (53%) of physical science researchers want to publish open access (OA) but 62% say a lack of monies from funding agencies prevents them from doing so.

Over 3,000 physical science researchers from across the globe participated in the ‘OA in physics: researcher perspectives’ study, which the physics society publishers say was carried out to better understand and meet the needs of the physical sciences community as it relates to OA.

The study also shows that over the past 5 years, 14% of respondents have not published OA at all. Further, over 50% have only published one article per year OA over that period.

The lack of grant monies from funding agencies is most keenly felt by researchers in South, Central and Latin America as well as in India and Pakistan, says the study, where approximately 80% of respondents specified a lack of funds as the main reason for not publishing OA. In Europe, 61% state that obtaining grants is the most significant barrier to OA publishing.

Overall, the survey reals that 30% of the respondents say they have not been able to publish in a specific journal due to lack of access to grant funding to pay for the cost of publishing OA. In South, Central and Latin America, that figure rises to 50%.

To find out more about ‘OA in physics: researcher perspectives’ you can read the whitepaper here.