Publish or Perish: The Cost of Publication in Orthopaedic Journals

This study aims to describe the cost of publication in orthopaedic journals and correlation to journal impact factor metrics.

Orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine journals were included for analysis. Data were recorded from publicly available records. Statistical analysis was conducted using R studio version 4.2.3. One-way analysis of variance with post hoc analysis (Tukey, Honest Significant Difference (HSD) was performed to compare SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) scores, H-index, and average cost (including the average submission, publication, or article processing charges [APCs] of a published article) between journals based on SJR quartile. Independent sample t-test and chi square or Fisher exact test were used to compare variables, with a Bonferroni P-value adjustment. Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated for SJR score, H-index, total journal references and publications as of 2022, years in publication, average cost, and APC (ie, the cost of publication associated with Open-Access publication). Correlation strengths were defined as excellent (>0.7), excellent-good (0.61 to 0.7), good (0.31 to 0.6), or poor (0.2 to 0.3). P values ≤0.05 were considered significant.

Of 306 orthopaedic journals, 4.9% had submission fees. Subscription publication was available in 55.56%. The average APC for open-access options was $1,975.69 ± 1,524.53 US dollars (USD). Comparison of publication cost for journals with and without subscription options demonstrated significance ($2,939.19 vs. $857.94 USD, P < 0.005). No strong correlation was found between journal impact factor metrics and publication costs. The top 5 main publishers are listed. The top publisher, Elsevier, responsible for 13.07% of orthopaedic journals, offered subscription publication options for only 32.5% of journals, with an average APC of $2,180.21 ± 1,521.27 USD. The United States published the most (n = 86 journals), followed by the United Kingdom (n = 61).

Open-access publication aims to ensure equitable access but is limited by large costs associated with publication charged to the authors, which do not strongly correlate with journal impact factor metrics.