Gold open access delivers lasting impact advantage, Springer Nature states
Springer Nature has published analysis suggesting that research published through gold open access (OA) continues to achieve substantially higher usage, citations and global reach than non-OA research.
The findings, published in the white paper From access to impact: How open access shapes research reach, citations and global visibility, revisit an area the publisher first analysed eight years ago and indicate that the advantages associated with gold OA have remained consistent despite changes in the wider open access landscape.
According to Springer Nature, gold OA articles receive almost seven times more downloads per research article than non-OA articles and attract 50% more citations on average.
The analysis also points to differences in readership across lower-income countries. Gold OA articles recorded more than eight times as many downloads in low-income countries and more than seven times as many in lower-middle-income countries compared with non-OA articles.
Springer Nature said the findings add to a growing body of evidence around the reach and impact of gold OA. Recent analysis from STM has similarly examined the continued growth of gold OA as the wider open access market matures.
The publisher argues that the results demonstrate a sustained advantage for authors choosing the gold route, particularly in terms of visibility and access to research internationally.
Katharine Szamuely, Vice President, Open Access at Springer Nature, said: “At a time of continued debate about how best to advance open access sustainably and at scale, what is particularly striking about these findings is their consistency. Eight years after we first demonstrated the advantages of gold OA, the evidence continues to show that the gold route delivers greater visibility, reach and impact for research. By making the trusted version of record immediately available, gold OA delivers tangible benefits for researchers, institutions and society around the world.
After more than two decades of advancing OA, we remain convinced that gold has a central role to play in enabling immediate access to high-quality research. Supporting its continued growth in ways that are sustainable, equitable and responsive to different funding models will be key to ensuring research can be shared, discovered and built upon by researchers, policymakers, educators and innovators around the world.”
Springer Nature’s release appears to corroborate recent analysis from STM which shows gold OA remains the principal driver of immediate, freely available access to research.