But is it Prestigious?

The Impact of OA on Authors

Authors who have recently published in high-impact scholarly journals within the past 18 months are largely ignorant of open access. Only ten percent of nearly 4,000 authors had published in OA journals, and only five percent said they knew a lot about OA. Younger authors were more likely to be positive about the outcomes of OA publishing than their older counterparts.¹²

There are at least three questions you as an author need to ask when considering whether to publish in an OA journal:

• Do OA journals carry sufficient weight in the tenure and review process within your field and institution? Talk to your advisor, department chair and senior colleagues. In fields within the humanities and social sciences, print journals still generally hold more prestige since "instantaneous dissemination of research" is less compelling than in medicine or mathematics.¹³
• Do you want to retain copyright control over your work? Most commercial and society publishers require that you sign over copyright to them when they publish your article. When you publish in OA journals, on the other hand, you retain copyright.
• Are you willing (or able) to pay the page fees associated with open access publishing? These usually range from $500 to $1,500 for each article.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be an "either-or" decision. You can choose a variety of publication avenues during your career. Just be clear about the benefits and drawbacks of each of the models available to you.

You also have several choices in the types of articles you can publish in scholarly journals. Let’s examine some of those options.

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• Introduction
• Module 1
  Overview of Scholarly Journal Publishing
  Module 1
  Overview of Scholarly Journal Publishing
  Publish or Perish The Scope and Purpose of this Tutorial Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship Self Assessment Description of a Scholarly Journal An Overview of the Scholarly Publishing Process Roles in Scholarly Publishing Conflicts Among the Players Changing Business Models in Scholarly Publishing The Open Access Model Open Access Business Models The Impact of OA on Authors Types of Articles You can Propose and Publish Collaboration and its Discontents The Responsibilities of Authorship Managing Your Citations Learning About the World in which You Write Get Yourself a Mentor and a Friend Scholarly Publishing is a Long-distance Run What do You Know?
• Module 2
  Laying the Groundwork: Ideas, Journal Research & Queries
  Module 2
  Laying the Groundwork: Ideas, Journal Research & Queries
  Objectives Preparing to Publish - Idea Generation KISS: Keep It Simple; Streamline! Quiz: Are you a KISS-er? Discover Your Next Article Focus Your Ideas Identify Appropriate Scholarly Journals Consult Disciplinary Journal Guides Review Reference Lists and Bibliographies Use Academic Journal Indices Talk to Your Colleagues Balancing Impact with Acceptance Rates Measuring Impact Circulation Figures The Nuances of Journal Characteristics Journal Queries Sending a Query Response Times and Next Steps Progress with Profiling Concept Review
• Module 3
  Deadlines & Details - Manuscript Prep & Submission
  Module 3
  Deadlines & Details - Manuscript Prep & Submission
  Objectives The Research Context Searching the Literature Resources for Searching the Literature The Literature Search as a Non-Linear Process Recording and Organizing Your Information The Writing Process: Overview and Tips Practical Elements of the Writing Process University of Colorado Writing Centers Writing Resources on the Web Understanding Your Disciplinary Style Ethical Issues in Research and Writing Avoiding Plagiarism Other Ethical Pitfalls Using Human Subjects and Animals in Research Attribution of Authorship Obtaining Permission to Use Copyrighted Material Following Instructions for Authors Next Steps: Colleague Review Submitting Your Manuscript Manuscript Checklist Summary and Review
• Module 4
  From Good to Great - The Editorial Process
  Module 4
  From Good to Great - The Editorial Process
  Objectives Submitting a Manuscript Types of Peer Review Masked and Open Reviews The Care and Management of Manuscripts Making the Cut Entering the Review Zone Peer Review Quiz Reviewer Considerations in Evaluating Manuscripts Waiting for Responses Making the Most of In-Between Times What to Expect When You're Expecting Feedback Rejection is Never Fun Requests for Resubmission with Revisions Revision, Revision, Revision Resubmitting your Manuscript You've Been Accepted! Now What? The Production Process Creating Your 'Need to Know' List The A to Z of the Review and Editorial Process
• Module 5
  Making it Yours - Customizing Your Publishing Plan
  Module 5
  Making it Yours - Customizing Your Publishing Plan
  Objectives From Overwhelmed to on Top of it All Identify Where You Want to Go Of Index Cards and Spiral Notebooks Low-Tech Solutions Going for Technology Best Practices in Sustaining Creative Development Continuing Your Education Mastering Scholarly Publishing