To Open Access or Not to Open Access? - Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law

The European Commission (EC), governments, and funders have been pushing researchers to publish Open Access (OA). The EC, for instance, has made open access mandatory for all Horizon projects, which includes making any peer-reviewed journal article openly accessible and free of charge, and is conducting a pilot on OA for research data. In parallel, or perhaps because of such developments, discussions about OA publishing have been ongoing in academic circles. Understanding the empirical effects, both positive and negative, of OA publishing can aid decision-making at various levels, from editorial policies to individual author choices. This editorial explores the types, trends, and effects of OA publishing. Unlike other editorials, this editorial is not very opinionated. Instead, it primarily aims to provide information to form an opinion and assist in making informed decisions regarding becoming or remaining OA journals and whether to publish OA.