Philosophy of escapism in the open access world: studying author pay model

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the economic perspective in open access publishing. The status of the article processing charges in open access journals is explored and highlighted.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on the analysis of journals indexed by Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and the fee structure levied by them as article processing charges (APCs).

Findings

Open access journal publishers have to evolve a mechanism that will share the burden of the authors interested in publishing in OA journals that levy article processing charges.

Research limitations/implications

The study can act as an eye‐opener for the publishers and associations affiliated with authors to support them and their works in making them publishable in open access journals which charge fees for article publishing. Also, the study can be extended on the basis of economic models that open access journals share in different disciplines and additional work can be carried out to highlight the perception of the authors who are benefitted from article processing charges.

Social implications

An economic divide between the authors who belong to the developed nations and the authors who reside from third world nations can be bridged.

Originality/value

The study is first of its kind, as it highlights the economic burden that the authors share in a fee‐based open access publishing world.

Citation

Shah, T.A. and Gul, S. (2013), "Philosophy of escapism in the open access world: studying author pay model", Library Review, Vol. 62 No. 4/5, pp. 224-236. https://doi.org/10.1108/LR-09-2012-0104