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Subscription-based and open access dermatology journals: the publication model dilemma
Jeffrey Ding, Arvind Vijayasarathi, Orapin M Amornteerasawas
1Department of Radiology, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. fkhosa@hotmail.com.
Dermatology Online Journal
|June 7, 2022
Summary
This study analyzed dermatology journal publishing models. Commercial publishers dominate MEDLINE-indexed journals, raising concerns about scholarship access and integrity.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology publishing
- Scholarly communication
- Medical journalism
Background:
- Medical journalism and research dissemination are vital for scholarly integrity.
- Understanding dermatology journal publication models is crucial for assessing current publishing landscapes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the publication models of actively publishing dermatology journals.
- To analyze the impact of publisher type, access model, and indexing on journal metrics.
Main Methods:
- Identified 106 dermatology journals using the SCImago Journal Rankings (SJR) database.
- Classified journals by publication model (subscription vs. open-access), publisher type, and MEDLINE indexing status.
- Analyzed the SCImago Journal Rankings (SJR) indicator across different classifications.
Main Results:
- 61.32% of journals were subscription-based, 38.68% were open-access.
- 55.66% of journals were MEDLINE-indexed, predominantly subscription-based and from commercial publishers.
- MEDLINE indexing and SJR indicator distributions varied significantly by publisher type and access model.
Conclusions:
- Commercial entities publish over 91% of MEDLINE-indexed dermatology journals, with four major companies dominating.
- Concentration of publishing power poses a risk to dermatology education and scholarship access.
- Disruption of access from top publishers could disproportionately affect the field.
