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Lack of grants from funding agencies biggest barrier to OA publishing in the physical sciences, study finds 

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IOP Publishing

Lack of grants from funding agencies biggest barrier to OA publishing in the physical sciences, study finds

image: Findings are from a new global study ‘OA in physics: researcher perspectives’ commissioned by leading learned society physics publishers view more 

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Findings are from a new global study ‘OA in physics: researcher perspectives’ commissioned by leading learned society physics publishers 

Over half (53%) of physical science researchers want to publish open access (OA) but 62% say a lack of monies from funding agencies prevents them from doing so.  

The finding comes from a new global study carried out by AIP Publishing, the American Physical Society (APS), IOP Publishing (IOPP) and Optica Publishing Group (formerly OSA).  

Over 3,000 physical science researchers from across the globe participated in the OA in physics: researcher perspectives study, which was carried out by the physics society publishers to better understand and meet the needs of the physical sciences community as it relates to OA.  

Over the past 5 years, 14% of respondents have not published OA at all.  Further, over 50% have only published one article per year OA over that period. 

The lack of grant monies from funding agencies is most keenly felt by researchers in South, Central and Latin America as well as in India and Pakistan where approximately 80% of respondents specified a lack of funds as the main reason for not publishing OA.   In Europe, 61% state that obtaining grants is the most significant barrier to OA publishing.  

Overall, 30% of the respondents say they have not been able to publish in a specific journal due to lack of access to grant funding to pay for the cost of publishing OA. In South, Central and Latin America, that figure rises to 50%.   

 

Media Contact:  

Juliet HannayJuliet.Hannay@ioppublishing.org  

About AIP Publishing 

AIP Publishing’s mission is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity by breaking barriers to open, equitable research communication and empowering researchers to accelerate global progress. AIP Publishing is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and supports the charitable, scientific, and educational purposes of AIP through scholarly publishing activities on its behalf and on behalf of our publishing partners. 

About APS 

The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. 

About IOP Publishing   

IOP Publishing is a society-owned scientific publisher, delivering impact, recognition and value to the scientific community.  Its product portfolio encompasses over 100 open access and hybrid journals, books, conference proceedings and a global science news programme, many of which are published in partnership with other learned societies. IOP Publishing is wholly owned subsidiary of the Institute of Physics, a not-for-profit society.  

About Optica Publishing Group (formerly OSA) 

Optica Publishing Group is a division of the society Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide. It publishes the largest collection of peer-reviewed content in optics and photonics, including 18 prestigious journals, the society’s flagship member magazine, and papers from more than 835 conferences, including 6,500+ associated videos. With over 400,000 journal articles, conference papers and videos to search, discover and access, Optica Publishing Group represents the full range of research in the field from around the globe. 


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