Author preferences for open access in Portugal: survey findings
ISSN: 0143-5124
Article publication date: 14 March 2023
Issue publication date: 28 June 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Surveying authors at doctoral-granting institutions of higher education in Portugal, the authors in this paper aim to seek to determine the extent to which Portuguese researchers prefer that their work appears in open access journals or open access repositories resulting in improved access to quality, peer-reviewed scientific information and faster scientific and technological advances. The authors also seek to gauge Portuguese author's familiarity with open access, the importance they attach to open access when choosing a publication outlet, and to determine their preferences for achieving open access.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology adopted in this research is the case study. The case study intends to understand a complex social phenomenon through an in-depth study holistically. In May 2020, the authors distributed a survey to faculty in all academic ranks at 14 Portuguese higher education institutions to learn the extent to which Portuguese authors currently make their research openly available, ascertain their awareness of open access, their support of the European Union (EU) open access goal and their preferences for achieving open access.
Findings
Researchers at Portuguese universities overwhelmingly are aware of arguments in favor of open access and believe that open access benefits researchers in their fields. Portuguese researchers regularly publish in open access journals and deposit their papers in institutional or disciplinary repositories.
Research limitations/implications
16.7% of 740 potential respondents completed the survey. The relatively low response rate prevents extrapolations from being made to the universe. The study was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, which, due to the disruption created in all sectors, made data collection complex and delayed its subsequent treatment.
Originality/value
Similar studies have been conducted at individual universities and in particular disciplines to determine the degree to which their faculty authors are aware of open access, its benefits, and preferences for achieving it. A similar study of Bulgarian university authors was conducted in 2018. No previous study of Portuguese authors at institutions of higher education has been conducted. The results will be useful to Portuguese institutions of higher education and academic libraries to establish and revise open access outreach and implementation services that may be helpful to their faculty in meeting EU open access and funder open access requirements.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The Survey Instrument of Author Preferences for Open Access is a collaborative work, headed by Michael Boock (Oregon State University, USA) and Tania Todorova (University of Library Studies and Information Technologies, Bulgaria). In 2019, the survey was implemented in seven Bulgarian universities.
Corrigendum: It has come to the attention of the publisher that the article: Carvalho, M., Boock, M., Todorova, T.Y., Martins, S., Braga, I. and Pinto, C. (2023), “Author preferences for open access in Portugal: survey findings”, Library Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-10-2022-0090 was submitted by the authors with inconsistent affiliation details. The affiliation details have now been corrected in the online version of the paper. The authors sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Citation
Carvalho, M., Boock, M., Todorova, T.Y., Martins, S., Braga, I. and Pinto, C. (2023), "Author preferences for open access in Portugal: survey findings", Library Management, Vol. 44 No. 3/4, pp. 203-216. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-10-2022-0090
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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