Excess of open access | European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery | Oxford Academic

Abstract:  Open access publishing has the potential to enhance transparency and accessibility, but the rapid rise of author-paid open-access journals raises concerns about quality and affordability. The pressure on authors to produce more, combined with financial incentives and high profit margins of commercial publishing, has shifted scientific publishing from knowledge dissemination to a profit-driven enterprise [1]. This shift is sometimes characterized by dishonest conduct, predatory publishing practices, and a decline in the overall quality and reliability of publications [2]. Publishers were already profiting from the system through subscriptions, but these costs were hidden from readers and authors because libraries covered the expenses. However, the financial burden of subscriptions led to a near-collapse of this system where many libraries could no longer sustain subscriptions. The burden now falls on the authors, and the resulting profit is sometimes staggering where some publishers began with just one or a few journals, but after experiencing the lucrative nature of the author-paid publishing industry, they have expanded to hundreds of mandatory open access journals.