Illustration of Professor Doctor Arthur Mol, Rector Magnificus. He is quoted saying: Open access helps to further increase the impact of our science.

Open Access: pros and cons

Brief explanation of the main advantages and disadvantages of Open Access publishing.

Advantages

  • Free for all: Open Access works are publicly available enabling research to be disseminated more rapidly and widely.
  • Thus Open Access may increase the exposure and visibility, usage and impact of your research.
  • Publishing Open Access fulfills research funder requirements and complies with the WUR Open Access policy.
  • Gold Open Access allows you to share your work as you please because copyright is retained.
  • Open Access makes reuse for educational purposes easier.

Disadvantages

  • New journals, like Open Access journals, take time to acquire  impact metrics. The impact factor as a criterium to evaluate scientists is currently evaluated.
  • Depositing full texts of publications in repositories requires extra effort to comply with Open Access policies of research funders and WUR. WUR has several tools and instruments to facilitate you with this process, such as the Quickstarter and participation in the Taverne Amendment.
  • Not all Open Access journals are covered in the Open Access agreements between WUR and publishers. As such, you may need to pay for publishing via the Gold Open Access route.
  • Predatory journals: the Open Access business model, where the author pays, is potentially an invitation for dubious publishers to accept more papers and provide less stringent review. This could lead to higher costs and a negative impact on overall quality. Please check this document (PDF, 84 KB) on predatory journals for tips.