Publishers Are Making All COVID-19 Research Freely Available

by Mary Beth Nierengarten •

D. Bradley Welling, MD, PhDWe have really nice papers published, and award-winning Triological Society theses, along with nicely designed and executed high quality studies. —D. Bradley Welling, MD, PhD

Dr. Krouse thinks of open access and traditional journals as complementary. “It’s nice to have both options,” he said. While Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery journal remains the flagship journal for the academy, he likes having OTO Open as an alternative. “It’s a nice option for more rapid publication, for publishing more experimental or non-mainstream papers, or for those without the same rigor of main journal studies,” he said.

Ongoing Challenge: Separate the Good from the Bad

All three journal editors agreed that a major challenge for both authors and readers of open access journals is the ability to separate legitimate open access journals from predatory journals. “Predatory publishing is a problem that we do all we can to educate our authors and users about,” said Dr. Krouse.

With many journals now adopting open access for COVID-19-related research, issues still unresolved or ambiguous about the merits and challenges of the publishing model may become clearer. Ensuring that high quality and scientifically sound research remains the standard, whether in open access or traditional publishing, requires strong editorial policies and oversight focused on only disseminating research that meets the highest scientific standards. Open access journals can also help meet this moment. 

Mary Beth Nierengarten is a freelance medical writer based in Minnesota.

Predatory Versus Legitimate Open Access Journals

Although the quality of open access journals has come a long way since they first emerged, some journals persist in trying to lure in researchers with aggressive solicitation tactics and other red flags. Below are several resources to help you differentiate a predatory open access journal from a legitimate one.