Characteristics of OA Diamond Journal Publishing in Non-English-Speaking Countries

Abstract Although global scholarly communication should include regional diversity it has been centered on English-language journals published in Western countries that wield strong economic power. Intending to reduce epistemological disparity, this study examined the characteristics of OA diamond journals (OADJ) published in non-English speaking countries (NESC). This study analyzed the OA Diamond Journals Study Dataset which cOAlition S commissioned. From the dataset 1,496 journals from 84 countries were assessed in terms of the official language of the journal’s publication country, the regions of the publication country, the country’s GDP, and the journal’s language. More than 80 % of OADJ were published in NESC and European countries, with Latin America and high-income countries as the main regions. OADJ in Latin America tended to be registered in Latin American index systems and considered international readers less important. Among OADJ published in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, and those published in English, the intention of moving away from OADJ was stronger and journal impact and international readership were highly regarded. Based on the findings of this study the potential of OADJ was discussed, as were suggestions for enhancing the OADJ environment.