Current research on the influence of open access to the scientific literature – Pubrica
                     A Review of Current  
Research on the 
Influence  of Open 
Access to the  
Scientific Literature
An Academic presentation by
Dr. Nancy Agnes, Head, Technical Operations, 
Pubrica  Group: www.pubrica.com
Email:  [email protected]
To d a y ' s D i s c u s s i o n
In brief
Introduction
Approaches to studying scholars' use of the scientific literature 
 Literature by Scholars in Developed Nations
Studies based on unobtrusive methods
Impact of free access on clinical decision making 
 Summary and discussion
About Pubrica
I n B r i ef
• The study examines recent research on the influence of  free access (open access) on the behaviour 
of  scientists in advanced and developing countries as  writers, readers, and citers.
• It also looks at how widely the general people utilise the  biomedical literature.
• Access to scientific publications is typically excellent  and improving, according to researchers.
• When it comes to determining where to publish, the open  access status of a journal is not a significant 
factor.
Contd...
There is strong evidence that open access increases paper downloads, while the influence 
 on article citations is unclear.
According to recent studies, considerable citation advantages are just byproducts
of  failing to account for confounding variables effectively.
The impact of open access on the general population's practice of primary
medical  literature has not been adequately assessed.
The perception that the subscription-
based  publishing model has resulted in a 
carcisciess so f to scientific publications [1] is a  
powerful argument favouring open access  
publishing.
This research examines that assertion by
analysing the current  literature and  
I n t r o d u c ti o n demonstrating how access  has
iomppeancted scholars, physicians, and the
general public in developed and developing 
 countries.
Contd...
The influence is measured in reading, citation, and other types of use.
It does not assess how technically accessible, indexed, catalogued, or available for future use the 
 publicly available scientific material is.
The topic is limited to scholarly literature, and therefore studies of online newspapers, periodicals, 
 and trade media are not included.
Contd...
It also focuses on natural sciences, as most free access research has focused on
biomedical, physical, and computer sciences.
Although "open access" is the often-used word for scientific work that is freely available  
online, the phrase "free access" is chosen here since "open access" is typically interpreted 
 to encompass concerns such as copyright, archiving, funding, and social justice that are  
not addressed in this paper.
M e t h o d s
The study is based on a review of existing empirical research  that attempts to quantify — 
directly or indirectly — academics,  physicians, and the general public's access to and use of  
scientific material.
Bibliographic databases, referenced references, personal  interaction, and prior knowledge of 
the issue were all used to  find relevant books.
Papers on the economics of scientific publication, for  example, are omitted from studies of 
how information is  created, published, and made publicly available.
L i t e r a t u r e b y S c h o l a r s   i n
D e v e l o p e d N a ti o n s
Periodic examinations of scientists' information-  seeking and reading habits in the United States 
have  identified three tendencies over the last thirty years:
(1) Scientists are reading more articles while  spending less time searching for and retrieving 
them;
(2) scientists are reading from a broader range of  journals and extending their reading into older  
literature; and (3) scientists have become more reliant  on institutional (library) access to j
ournal collections,  though they still use informal sources like preprint  servers and colleagues.

S t u d ie s B a s e d o n U n o b t ru s iv e  
M e t h o d s
Data obtained from Elsevier and Oxford University Press's  online transaction logs 
reveals two critical trends over the  last few years: an increase in the number of journals 
 accessible at a typical university and an even more  significant growth in the number of 
article downloads [2].
These figures are used as evidence by package deal  publishers that they add value to 
the academic  community.
Contd...
CITATIONS
The influence of online and open access on citation behaviour among academics is unclear.
The extent to which improved access has extended the scope of referenced material is a point 
 of contention.
I m p a c t o f F re e A c c e s s o n  
C l i n i c a l D e c i s i o n M a k i n g
• Participants in the study were given one of four access  options: (1) no mention of the relevant 
article, (2) a  citation to the article without a hyperlink, (3) a citation  with a link to the 
article (which costs $11.95), or (4) a  citation with a link to a free copy of the article.
• After a week, participants were asked to read a vignette  regarding the article's topic and 
provide  recommendations for medical intervention. Participants in  group 4 were the most 
likely to say they had read the  article in both experiments.
Only one research found that reading the article made a recommendation based on the 
 information it provided.
These findings suggest that having free access to research publications enhances
the  chance of downloading and reading them.
S u m m a ry a n d D is c u s s io n
• While free access encourages more people to read, the  influence on citations is still 
being studied.
• According to current studies, there is little indication of  unmet demand for primary 
medical or health sciences  books among the general audience.
• There have been no revisions that look at how open  access to scientific publications 
affects the usage of  scientific knowledge in non-research settings,  including 
teaching, medical practice, industry, and  government.
A b o u t P u b r ic a
• Pubrica's researchers and authors create  scientific and medical research articles that  
practitioners and authors may use as  reference materials.
• By presenting the reader to the deficiencies  or gaps in the selected study field, Pubrica 
 medical writers assist you in writing and  editing the introduction.
• Our professionals are familiar with the  framework that follows the broad topic,  
problem, and background to a small case  where the hypothesis is stated.
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