Blog series: OA Articles Published by Global South Authors - Pt. 3

Hybrid OA

Part 3 of this blog series focuses on hybrid open access; that is, when authors publish in traditional print journals and then pay an APC to provide immediate OA to their articles. Only three hybrid OA articles are listed below, however, suggesting that this is not a popular option for authors based in the global South. 

The publication fees for hybrid OA are significantly higher than APCs for gold OA, as I found in a study undertaken earlier this year. This table shows that refugee-related journals are no exception. The APCs for a set of 15 titles range from $2350 to $4096! Moreover, no waivers are available since authors seeking to provide open access to their articles can opt for the green route instead (more on green OA in the next post). 

Well-resourced academic institutions in the North are dealing with high APC prices by negotiating "transformative agreements" with journal publishers, whereby hybrid OA publication fees are folded into subscription contracts. Unfortunately, as this blog post argues, an unintended consequence of these deals is that they "exacerbate existing inequalities in scholarly publishing, by establishing and entrenching a two-tier system of scholarly publishing based on access to funds needed to meet publishing charges."

"COVID-19 Pandemic and Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: What are the Major Concerns?," Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice, Latest Articles, 20 Aug. 2020

- 5 authors; lead author & 4 co-authors = Bangladesh, 1 co-author = US. APC is US$3500.

"Localisation Across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus," Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, vol. 15, no. 2 (2020)

- 2 authors = Qatar. APC is US$3000.

"Navigating Social Spaces: Armed Mobilization and Circular Return in Eastern DR Congo," Journal of Refugee Studies, Advance Articles, 5 Sept. 2020

- 3 authors; lead author = Belgium, 1 co-author = Democratic Rep. of Congo, 1 co-author =  Belgium/Democratic Rep. of Congo. APC is US$3639.

Related posts:

- Blog series: OA Articles Published by Global South Authors - Pt. 2 (gold OA)

- Blog series: OA Articles Published by Global South Authors - Pt. 1 (diamond OA)