Perceived Challenges of the Pakistani Editors in Open-Access Journal Publishing

This study has been designed to determine the perceived challenges of the editors of the Higher Education Commission (HEC)-recognized OA and non-OA journals in Pakistan regarding OA publishing. This study used a quantitative research approach and used a survey method to collect data from the editors of all 329 HEC-recognized OA and non-OA journals in Pakistan. A majority of the respondents exposed ‘no academic and monetary reward for the editorial staff; and ‘insufficient financial resources for OA publishing’ as enormous challenges for OA journal publishing. A majority of the respondents of non-OA journals were of the view that insufficient facilities for training and guidance for OA journal publishing and the reluctance of the editorial board to initiate OA publishing were the major reasons for not following OA journal publishing. This study may draw the attention of policymakers to address the challenges faced by Pakistani journals’ editors.