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Meyer A, Streichert T. Twenty-Five Years of Progress-Lessons Learned From JMIR Publications to Address Gender Parity in Digital Health Authorships: Bibliometric Analysis. J Med Internet Res 2024; 26:e58950. [PMID: 39121467 PMCID: PMC11344179 DOI: 10.2196/58950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Digital health research plays a vital role in advancing equitable health care. The diversity of research teams is thereby instrumental in capturing societal challenges, increasing productivity, and reducing bias in algorithms. Despite its importance, the gender distribution within digital health authorship remains largely unexplored. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the gender distribution among first and last authors in digital health research, thereby identifying predicting factors of female authorship. METHODS This bibliometric analysis examined the gender distribution across 59,980 publications from 1999 to 2023, spanning 42 digital health journals indexed in the Web of Science. To identify strategies ensuring equality in research, a detailed comparison of gender representation in JMIR journals was conducted within the field, as well as against a matched sample. Two-tailed Welch 2-sample t tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and chi-square tests were used to assess differences. In addition, odds ratios were calculated to identify predictors of female authorship. RESULTS The analysis revealed that 37% of first authors and 30% of last authors in digital health were female. JMIR journals demonstrated a higher representation, with 49% of first authors and 38% of last authors being female, yielding odds ratios of 1.96 (95% CI 1.90-2.03; P<.001) and 1.78 (95% CI 1.71-1.84; P<.001), respectively. Since 2008, JMIR journals have consistently featured a greater proportion of female first authors than male counterparts. Other factors that predicted female authorship included having female authors in other relevant positions and gender discordance, given the higher rate of male last authors in the field. CONCLUSIONS There was an evident shift toward gender parity across publications in digital health, particularly from the publisher JMIR Publications. The specialized focus of its sister journals, equitable editorial policies, and transparency in the review process might contribute to these achievements. Further research is imperative to establish causality, enabling the replication of these successful strategies across other scientific fields to bridge the gender gap in digital health effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Meyer
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thomas Streichert
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Fandim JV, Hinman RS, Øverås CK, Sharma S, Belton J, Oliveira VC, Dear BF, Parker R, Ghai B, Bennell KL, Ferreira P, Hartvigsen J, Saragiotto BT. One step at a time. Shaping consensus on research priorities and terminology in telehealth in musculoskeletal pain: an international modified e-Delphi study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2023; 24:783. [PMID: 37789304 PMCID: PMC10546725 DOI: 10.1186/s12891-023-06866-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telehealth has emerged as an alternative model for treatment delivery and has become an important component of health service delivery. However, there is inconsistency in the use of terminologies and a lack of research priorities in telehealth in musculoskeletal pain. The purpose of this international, multidisciplinary expert panel assembled in a modified three-round e-Delphi survey is to achieve a consensus on research priorities and for the standard terminology for musculoskeletal pain telehealth practice. METHODS In this international modified e-Delphi survey, we invited an expert panel consisting of researchers, clinicians, consumer representatives, industry partners, healthcare managers, and policymakers to participate in a three-round e-Delphi. Expert panels were identified through the Expertscape website, PubMed database, social media, and a snowball approach. In Round 1, potential research priorities and terminologies were presented to panel members. Panel members rated the agreement of each research priority on a 5-point Likert scale and an 11-point numerical scale, and each terminology on a 5-point Likert scale for the "telehealth in musculoskeletal pain " field over rounds. At least 80% of the panel members were required to agree to be deemed a consensus. We analyzed the data descriptively and assessed the stability of the results using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test. RESULTS We performed an international e-Delphi survey from February to August 2022. Of 694 invited people, 160 panel members participated in the first round, 133 in the second round (83% retention), and 134 in the third round (84% retention). Most of the panel members were researchers 76 (47%), clinicians 57 (36%), and consumer representatives 9 (6%) of both genders especially from Brazil 31 (19%), India 22 (14%), and Australia 19 (12%) in the first round. The panel identified fourteen telehealth research priorities spanned topics including the development of strategies using information and communication technology, telehealth implementation services, the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of telehealth interventions, equity of telehealth interventions, qualitative research and eHealth literacy in musculoskeletal pain conditions from an initial list of 20 research priorities. The consensus was reached for "digital health" and "telehealth" as standard terminologies from an initial list of 37 terminologies. CONCLUSION An international, multidisciplinary expert consensus recommends that future research should consider the 14 research priorities for telehealth musculoskeletal pain reached. Additionally, the terms digital health and telehealth as the most appropriate terminologies to be used in musculoskeletal telehealth research. REGISTER Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/tqmz2/ ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Junior V Fandim
- Masters and Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID), Rua Cesário Galeno, 448, Tatuapé, CEP 03071-000, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
| | - Rana S Hinman
- Department of Physiotherapy, Centre for Health, Exercise & Sports Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Cecilie K Øverås
- Department of Public Health and Nursing, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Saurab Sharma
- Centre for Pain IMPACT, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Joletta Belton
- IASP Global Alliance of Partners for Pain Advocacy (GAPPA), Washington D.C, USA
| | - Vinícius C Oliveira
- Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation and Functional Performance, Universidade Federal Dos Vales Do Jequitinhonha E Mucuri (UFVJM), Diamantina, MG, Brazil
| | - Blake F Dear
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, Australia
| | - Romy Parker
- Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Babita Ghai
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Kim L Bennell
- Department of Physiotherapy, Centre for Health, Exercise & Sports Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Paulo Ferreira
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre, Sydney School of Health Sciences, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Jan Hartvigsen
- Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Chiropractic Knowledge Hub, Odense, Denmark
| | - Bruno T Saragiotto
- Masters and Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID), Rua Cesário Galeno, 448, Tatuapé, CEP 03071-000, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
- Discipline of Physiotherapy, Graduate School of Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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Kang H, Oh HC. Current concerns on journal article with preprint: Anesthesia and Pain Medicine perspectives. Anesth Pain Med (Seoul) 2023; 18:97-103. [PMID: 37183277 PMCID: PMC10183610 DOI: 10.17085/apm.23036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Preprints are preliminary research reports that have not yet been peer-reviewed. They have been widely adopted to promote the timely dissemination of research across many scientific fields. In August 1991, Paul Ginsparg launched an electronic bulletin board intended to serve a few hundred colleagues working in a subfield of theoretical high-energy physics, thus launching arXiv, the first and largest preprint platform. Additional preprint servers have since been implemented in different academic fields, such as BioRxiv (2013, Biology; www.biorxiv.org) and medRxiv (2019, Health Science; www.medrxiv.org). While preprint availability has made valuable research resources accessible to the general public, thus bridging the gap between academic and non-academic audiences, it has also facilitated the spread of unsupported conclusions through various media channels. Issues surrounding the preprint policies of a journal must be addressed, ultimately, by editors and include the acceptance of preprint manuscripts, allowing the citation of preprints, maintaining a double-blind peer review process, changes to the preprint's content and authors' list, scoop priorities, commenting on preprints, and preventing the influence of social media. Editors must be able to deal with these issues adequately, to maintain the scientific integrity of their journal. In this review, the history, current status, and strengths and weaknesses of preprints as well as ongoing concerns regarding journal articles with preprints are discussed. An optimal approach to preprints is suggested for editorial board members, authors, and researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Kang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyoung-Chul Oh
- Division of Gastroenterology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Overlay journals: A study of the current landscape. JOURNAL OF LIBRARIANSHIP AND INFORMATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/09610006221125208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Overlay journals are characterised by their articles being published on open access repositories, often already starting in their initial preprint form as a prerequisite for submission to the journal prior to initiating the peer-review process. In this study we aimed to identify currently active overlay journals and examine their characteristics. We utilised an explorative web search and contacted key service providers for additional information. The final sample consisted of 34 overlay journals. While the results show that new overlay journals have been actively established within recent years, the current presence of overlay journals remains diminutive compared to the overall number of open access journals. Most overlay journals publish articles in natural sciences, mathematics or computer sciences, and are commonly published by groups of academics rather than formal organisations. They may also rank highly within the traditional journal citation metrics. None of the investigated journals required fees from authors, which is likely related to the cost-effective aspects of the overlay publishing model. Both the growth in adoption of open access preprint repositories and researchers’ willingness to publish in overlay journals will determine the model’s wider impact on scholarly publishing.
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Ursić L, Gudelj D, Tomić V, Marušić M, Marušić A. Analysing overlay journals: The state‐of‐the‐art in 2021 and possible perspectives. LEARNED PUBLISHING 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/leap.1491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luka Ursić
- ST‐OPEN University of Split Split Croatia
- Department of Research in Biomedicine and Health, Centre for Evidence‐based Medicine University of Split School of Medicine Split Croatia
| | | | | | | | - Ana Marušić
- ST‐OPEN University of Split Split Croatia
- Department of Research in Biomedicine and Health, Centre for Evidence‐based Medicine University of Split School of Medicine Split Croatia
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Abstract
The risk of accidental or deliberate misuse of biological research is increasing as biotechnology advances. As open science becomes widespread, we must consider its impact on those risks and develop solutions that ensure security while facilitating scientific progress. Here, we examine the interaction between open science practices and biosecurity and biosafety to identify risks and opportunities for risk mitigation. Increasing the availability of computational tools, datasets, and protocols could increase risks from research with misuse potential. For instance, in the context of viral engineering, open code, data, and materials may increase the risk of release of enhanced pathogens. For this dangerous subset of research, both open science and biosecurity goals may be achieved by using access-controlled repositories or application programming interfaces. While preprints accelerate dissemination of findings, their increased use could challenge strategies for risk mitigation at the publication stage. This highlights the importance of oversight earlier in the research lifecycle. Preregistration of research, a practice promoted by the open science community, provides an opportunity for achieving biosecurity risk assessment at the conception of research. Open science and biosecurity experts have an important role to play in enabling responsible research with maximal societal benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Andrew Smith
- Botnar Research Centre and Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jonas B. Sandbrink
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Future of Humanity Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Malički M, Costello J, Alperin JP, Maggio LA. Analysis of single comments left for bioRxiv preprints till September 2019. Biochem Med (Zagreb) 2021; 31:020201. [PMID: 33927548 PMCID: PMC8047782 DOI: 10.11613/bm.2021.020201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION While early commenting on studies is seen as one of the advantages of preprints, the type of such comments, and the people who post them, have not been systematically explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analysed comments posted between 21 May 2015 and 9 September 2019 for 1983 bioRxiv preprints that received only one comment on the bioRxiv website. The comment types were classified by three coders independently, with all differences resolved by consensus. RESULTS Our analysis showed that 69% of comments were posted by non-authors (N = 1366), and 31% by the preprints' authors themselves (N = 617). Twelve percent of non-author comments (N = 168) were full review reports traditionally found during journal review, while the rest most commonly contained praises (N = 577, 42%), suggestions (N = 399, 29%), or criticisms (N = 226, 17%). Authors' comments most commonly contained publication status updates (N = 354, 57%), additional study information (N = 158, 26%), or solicited feedback for the preprints (N = 65, 11%). CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that comments posted for bioRxiv preprints may have potential benefits for both the public and the scholarly community. Further research is needed to measure the direct impact of these comments on comments made by journal peer reviewers, subsequent preprint versions or journal publications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Malički
- Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford University, San Francisco, USA
| | - Joseph Costello
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Juan Pablo Alperin
- Scholarly Communications Lab, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Publishing, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lauren A. Maggio
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Abstract
Scientists observe, discover, justify and eventually share their findings with the scientific community. Dissemination is an integral aspect of scientific discovery, since discoveries which go unnoticed have no or little impact on science. Today, peer review is part of this process of scientific dissemination as it contributes proactively to the quality of a scientific article. As the numbers of scientific journals and scientific articles published therein are increasing steadily, processes such as the single-blind or double-blind peer review are facing a near collapse situation. In fact, these traditional forms of reviewing have reached their limits and, because of this, are also increasingly considered as unfair, sloppy, superficial and even biased. In this manuscript, we propose forms of post-publication public peer review (P4R) as valuable alternatives to the traditional blind peer review system. We describe how the journal Sci has explored such an approach and provide first empirical evidence of the benefits and also challenges, such a P4R approach faces.
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Benis A, Tamburis O, Chronaki C, Moen A. One Digital Health: A Unified Framework for Future Health Ecosystems. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e22189. [PMID: 33492240 PMCID: PMC7886486 DOI: 10.2196/22189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One Digital Health is a proposed unified structure. The conceptual framework of the One Digital Health Steering Wheel is built around two keys (ie, One Health and digital health), three perspectives (ie, individual health and well-being, population and society, and ecosystem), and five dimensions (ie, citizens’ engagement, education, environment, human and veterinary health care, and Healthcare Industry 4.0). One Digital Health aims to digitally transform future health ecosystems, by implementing a systemic health and life sciences approach that takes into account broad digital technology perspectives on human health, animal health, and the management of the surrounding environment. This approach allows for the examination of how future generations of health informaticians can address the intrinsic complexity of novel health and care scenarios in digitally transformed health ecosystems. In the emerging hybrid landscape, citizens and their health data have been called to play a central role in the management of individual-level and population-level perspective data. The main challenges of One Digital Health include facilitating and improving interactions between One Health and digital health communities, to allow for efficient interactions and the delivery of near–real-time, data-driven contributions in systems medicine and systems ecology. However, digital health literacy; the capacity to understand and engage in health prevention activities; self-management; and collaboration in the prevention, control, and alleviation of potential problems are necessary in systemic, ecosystem-driven public health and data science research. Therefore, people in a healthy One Digital Health ecosystem must use an active and forceful approach to prevent and manage health crises and disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arriel Benis
- Faculty of Technology Management, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel.,Faculty of Digital Medical Technologies, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel
| | - Oscar Tamburis
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Anne Moen
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Smoktunowicz E, Barak A, Andersson G, Banos RM, Berger T, Botella C, Dear BF, Donker T, Ebert DD, Hadjistavropoulos H, Hodgins DC, Kaldo V, Mohr DC, Nordgreen T, Powers MB, Riper H, Ritterband LM, Rozental A, Schueller SM, Titov N, Weise C, Carlbring P. Consensus statement on the problem of terminology in psychological interventions using the internet or digital components. Internet Interv 2020; 21:100331. [PMID: 32577404 PMCID: PMC7305336 DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2020.100331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the emergence of psychological interventions delivered via the Internet they have differed in numerous ways. The wealth of formats, methods, and technological solutions has led to increased availability and cost-effectiveness of clinical care, however, it has simultaneously generated a multitude of terms. With this paper, we first aim to establish whether a terminology issue exists in the field of Internet-delivered psychological interventions. If so, we aim to determine its implications for research, education, and practice. Furthermore, we intend to discuss solutions to mitigate the problem; in particular, we propose the concept of a common glossary. We invited 23 experts in the field of Internet-delivered interventions to respond to four questions, and employed the Delphi method to facilitate a discussion. We found that experts overwhelmingly agreed that there were terminological challenges, and that it had significant consequences for conducting research, treating patients, educating students, and informing the general public about Internet-delivered interventions. A cautious agreement has been reached that formulating a common glossary would be beneficial for the field to address the terminology issue. We end with recommendations for the possible formats of the glossary and means to disseminate it in a way that maximizes the probability of broad acceptance for a variety of stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewelina Smoktunowicz
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Chodakowska 19, 31 03-815 Warsaw, Poland,Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Frescati Hagvag 8, 114 19 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Azy Barak
- Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Gerhard Andersson
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rosa M. Banos
- Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain,CIBER Fisiopatologia Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Thomas Berger
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Botella
- CIBER Fisiopatologia Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain,Uiversitat Jaume I, Valencia, Spain
| | - Blake F. Dear
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Tara Donker
- Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - David D. Ebert
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Clinical, Neuro- & Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Viktor Kaldo
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden,Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David C. Mohr
- Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Tine Nordgreen
- Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Heleen Riper
- Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Lee M. Ritterband
- Center for Behavioral Health & Technology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Alexander Rozental
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden,Institute of Child Health, UCL, London, UK
| | - Stephen M. Schueller
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Nickolai Titov
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Cornelia Weise
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps–University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Per Carlbring
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Frescati Hagvag 8, 114 19 Stockholm, Sweden,Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Wyatt JC. Preserving the Open Access Benefits Pioneered by the Journal of Medical Internet Research and Discouraging Fraudulent Journals. J Med Internet Res 2019; 21:e16532. [PMID: 31868652 PMCID: PMC6945122 DOI: 10.2196/16532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) was an early pioneer of open access online publishing, and two decades later, some readers and authors may have forgotten the challenges of previous scientific publishing models. This commentary summarizes the many advantages of open access publishing for each of the main stakeholders in scientific publishing and reminds us that, like every innovation, there are disadvantages that we need to guard against, such as the problem of fraudulent journals. This paper then reviews the potential impact of some current initiatives, such as Plan S and JMIRx, concluding with some suggestions to help new open-access publishers ensure that the advantages of open access publishing outweigh the challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy C Wyatt
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
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