Did you know that open access articles attract more citations than those published in subscription journals? A substantial body of research evidence demonstrates what’s known as the Open Access Citation Advantage. A recent study in the open access journal PLoS ONE found that advantage to be as high as 19% — even when articles had been embargoed (made open access after a certain period). This is because it’s easier for anyone to access a freely available article – meaning that scholars anywhere can cite it in their own papers without worrying if their institution can afford an expensive journal subscription.

Why does this matter? Higher citations are regarded as a major indicator of research impact – the basis for growth in both individual researchers’ careers and in the profile of their institutions.

Here at Brock, recipients of funding from the Library Open Access Publishing Fund attest to the benefits of freely sharing their articles:

“Because it was open, this article received more citations than those I have published the same time period but not open.” —Jian Liu, Professor, Health Sciences

“Because it was open,  my article attracted higher citations.” — Ping Liang, Associate Professor, Biology.