Diagnosis of open access perceptions, attitudes, practices and policies in academic journals of the Social Sciences of Latin America and the Caribbean

"It assesses the extent to which the institutional and editorial policies of academic journals and the perceptions and attitudes of Latin American and Caribbean publishers and authors favor and promote the publication and use of articles in open access, through content analysis of the Web pages of Social Science journals and questionnaires to editors and authors. It is concluded that although most journals are considered open access by their publishing committees, this information is not explicit. Nor is it clear the information regarding copyright and permissions to use and reuse of its contents. Although the perceptions and attitudes of editors and authors are generally positive towards the model, they are not sufficient factors for the adoption of promotion strategies and communication practices in this model. The success of open access in the Latin American and Caribbean journals of Social Sciences depends on a set of strategies aimed at minimizing barriers and promoting joint participation actions among the different actors that make up the scientific communication system."