Open Access Publishing and its Academic, Economic, and Societal Impact

Abstract

This paper examines the status of Open Access (OA) publishing in India and reviews its academic, economic, and societal impact. The study adopted descriptive and review methods. Data was extracted from directories, online databases, and websites for analyzing OA trends at the global level and in India. Studies related to the topic were also reviewed to examine the academic, economic, and societal impact of OA publishing on different stakeholders. The study's findings suggest that the number of OA journals indexed in Scopus, WoS, and DOAJ is consistently growing in India. A significant amount of research literature published in Scopus and WoS indexed journals is OA, making India one of the leading nations in the OA movement. Major funding bodies like CSIR, UGC, DST, DBT, and ICAR in India have formulated OA policies and mandated authors to make research outcomes of publicly funded research OA. The present study’s results will aid policymakers in realizing the difficulty associated with OA adoption, contributing to policy formulation and implementation nationwide.