Abstract
The author focuses on a new rapidly spreading practice of publication in open-access journals. The pros and cons of open-access journals are discussed. Publishing in these journals may be cost prohibitive for educators and junior faculty members. Some authors may be lured by the ease of publishing in open-access journals (and their, at times, inflated self-description, e.g., “international”, “scientific”), and their possibly valuable contributions will escape the attention of Academic Psychiatry readership in the vast sea of open-access journals. The readership may be flooded with a large number of low-quality articles (maybe not even properly peer-reviewed) from open-access journals. It may take some time to sort out what is and what is not relevant and useful. Open-access publishing represents a problematic and controversial practice and may be associated with a conflict of interest for the editors and publishers of these journals.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Wolpert AJ. For the sake of inquiry and knowledge—the inevitability of open access. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:785–7.
Frank M. Open but not free—publishing in the 21st century. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:787–9.
Carroll MW. Creative commons and the openness of open access. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:789–91.
Haug C. The downside of open-access publishing. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:791–3.
Beall J. Predatory publishers are corrupting open access. Nature. 2012;489:179.
Kolata G. Billed for articles, scientists feel duped by pseudo-academic journals. New York Times April 7, 2013.
Disclosures
The author reports no conflicts of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Balon, R. Perilous Terra Incognita—Open-Access Journals. Acad Psychiatry 38, 221–223 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0059-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0059-1