Assessing Open Access Publishing Activities to Inform Open Publishing Services at a Large R1 Institution

Open Access (OA) publishing is continually reshaping the model of scholarly communication, enabling research outputs to be disseminated more widely and to have greater impact. In response, academic institutions need to assess their publishing landscapes to inform data-driven strategies that support OA adoption. This study mainly investigates publishing patterns at the University of Houston (UH), a large urban institution with "very high research activity" status under the Carnegie Classification. Using bibliographic data from OpenAlex (2020–2024), the authors analyzed OA publishing trends, citation differences between OA and non-OA articles, disciplinary concentrations, top publishers, and associated Article Processing Charges (APCs). Findings reveal key insights into UH authors’ engagement with OA models and inform institutional efforts to enhance open publishing support, develop targeted outreach initiatives, and negotiate better institutional agreements. The study contributes to the broader discourse in scholarly communication by offering a replicable approach for institutional-level OA assessment.