The Open Access Advantage Considering Citation, Article Usage and Social Media Attention (1503.05702v1)

Abstract: In this study, we compare the difference in the impact between open access (OA) and non-open access (non-OA) articles. 1761 Nature Communications articles published from 1 Jan. 2012 to 31 Aug. 2013 are selected as our research objects, including 587 OA articles and 1174 non-OA articles. Citation data and daily updated article-level metrics data are harvested directly from the platform of nature.com. Data is analyzed from the static versus temporal-dynamic perspectives. The OA citation advantage is confirmed, and the OA advantage is also applicable when extending the comparing from citation to article views and social media attention. More important, we find that OA papers not only have the great advantage of total downloads, but also have the feature of keeping sustained and steady downloads for a long time. For article downloads, non-OA papers only have a short period of attention, when the advantage of OA papers exists for a much longer time.

• The paper shows that OA articles achieve a 1.52-fold citation advantage and up to 4.40x more views than non-OA articles.
• It uses a comparative analysis of 1,761 articles with detailed metrics on citations, article usage, and social media engagement.
• The findings imply that open access publication extends scholarly reach and fosters sustained user engagement over time.

Open Access Advantage and Its Impact Across Multiple Metrics

The paper by Wang et al., "The Open Access Advantage Considering Citation, Article Usage and Social Media Attention," provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact differences between Open Access (OA) and non-OA articles. Utilizing a dataset comprising 1,761 articles from Nature Communications, published between January 2012 and August 2013, the paper investigates the implications of Open Access on citations, article usage, and social media discussion.

The analysis is centered on a comparison of 587 OA articles against 1,174 non-OA articles. Leveraging citation data, article-level metrics, and altmetrics, the authors examine both static and dynamic differences between the two categories. The results underscore a critical finding: OA articles not only exhibit a citation advantage but also demonstrate enhanced performance in article views and social media attention.

Key Findings

1. Citation Advantage: The paper confirms a persistent citation advantage for OA articles. The dataset reveals that 77.17% of OA articles received at least one citation as compared to 68.82% for non-OA articles. Over time, the citation advantage becomes more pronounced. For instance, articles published from January to April 2012 show an average of 18.37 citations for OA articles, approximately 1.52 times more than their non-OA counterparts.
2. Article Views: The paper demonstrates that OA articles command significantly more article views. The data highlight that the average views for OA articles ranged between 4,876 and 10,073, whereas non-OA articles only reached 1,756 to 2,291 views on average. The ratio of average views for OA to non-OA articles is notably high, spanning from 2.56 to 4.40 times, depending on the publication period examined.
3. Social Media Attention: A moderate advantage is observed in social media activity, including Twitter and Facebook interactions. OA articles showed a slight increase in social media engagement compared to non-OA articles. The ratio for social media metrics of OA versus non-OA articles ranges from 1.27 to 1.48.
4. Temporal Evolution: The temporal-dynamic analysis reveals that OA articles maintain longer periods of user engagement. After an immediate post-publication interest, non-OA articles experience a rapid decline in views. Conversely, OA articles sustain a steady increase in total views even beyond the initial publication months. This suggests that the OA advantage not only persists but also amplifies over time.

Implications and Future Directions

The findings of this paper bear significant implications for both authors and publishers. Authors may leverage the advantages of OA publication to maximize visibility, engagement, and citation impact. Publishers are encouraged to consider the broader ramifications of OA, as it propels articles to reach a wider audience efficiently.

The theoretical implications extend to the paper of bibliometrics and scholarly communication. These results add to the empirical evidence supporting the benefits of OA policies and prompt a reevaluation of access models in scientific dissemination.

Future research could hone in on the mechanisms driving the OA advantage, potentially incorporating a wider range of disciplines and diverse datasets. Further investigation might explore the causal relationships and the role self-archiving or institutional repositories play in amplifying the observed effects. It would also be worthwhile to assess the influence of OA across different geographic regions and varying academic communities.

By demonstrating consistent advantages across multiple impact metrics, this research contributes to an evolving understanding of Open Access's role in the dissemination of scholarly knowledge.