Researchers’ Attitudes and Practices towards Open Access Journals: A Literature Review of the Empirical Studies

In this study, fifty-six empirical studies (fifty-one articles and five reports) published between 2017 and 2024 were reviewed to examine researchers’ attitudes and practices towards open access journals (OAJs). The analysis focused on three main topics: researchers’ perceptions of OAJs, researchers’ OAJ publishing behaviours, and factors that influence their decisions to publish or not publish in OAJs. The results suggest that although the majority of researchers acknowledge the benefits of OAJs in terms of accessibility and dissemination, there are ongoing worries about their quality. OAJ publishing behaviours vary significantly by discipline and region, reflecting a complex decision-making process influenced by various factors. Journal quality remains a top priority for researchers when deciding to publish in OAJs, while article processing charge (APC) represents a significant obstacle. However, the opportunity for OAJs to boost the visibility of research outputs presents an incentive that could encourage researchers to publish in such journals.