Start Date

24-10-2025 11:00 AM

End Date

24-10-2025 11:45 AM

Presentation Type

Presentation

Primary Theme

Scholarly Publications

Secondary Theme

Assessment

Description

In 2024, the Rutgers Health Sciences Librarians conducted a survey targeting faculty from three schools to explore their understanding of and attitudes toward Open Access (OA) publishing. While the response rate was lower than anticipated, the insights gathered echoed global research trends: faculty widely recognized the benefits of OA, including broader dissemination, increased visibility, and enhanced impact of their work. However, understanding that self-reported data has its limitations, the librarians expanded their approach to include a more objective, data-driven analysis. Leveraging Scopus for comprehensive publication data and VOSviewer for visualizing scholarly networks, the librarians conducted a bibliometric analysis of faculty publishing activity. This analysis served as a powerful tool to:

  • Identify the journals and publishers most frequently used for OA publishing.

  • Determine whether these outlets are included in Rutgers University Libraries’ subscriptions or covered under existing Transformative Agreements.

  • Map co-authorship patterns to highlight collaborative research networks—both local and international.

By comparing actual publishing behavior with survey responses, the study offered a nuanced understanding of faculty perceptions versus practice. This dual approach not only validated certain assumptions but also revealed gaps in awareness and access.

Ultimately, this initiative exemplifies how libraries can lead in reimagining scholarly communication. The findings enable more targeted outreach, promote awareness of institutional resources such as APC support and Transformative Agreements, and support informed, equitable publishing decisions. In doing so, librarians are not just supporting research—they are shaping a more open, connected, and collaborative academic future.

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Oct 24th, 11:00 AM Oct 24th, 11:45 AM

Perception vs. Practice: A Data-Driven Look at Faculty Engagement with Open Access

In 2024, the Rutgers Health Sciences Librarians conducted a survey targeting faculty from three schools to explore their understanding of and attitudes toward Open Access (OA) publishing. While the response rate was lower than anticipated, the insights gathered echoed global research trends: faculty widely recognized the benefits of OA, including broader dissemination, increased visibility, and enhanced impact of their work. However, understanding that self-reported data has its limitations, the librarians expanded their approach to include a more objective, data-driven analysis. Leveraging Scopus for comprehensive publication data and VOSviewer for visualizing scholarly networks, the librarians conducted a bibliometric analysis of faculty publishing activity. This analysis served as a powerful tool to:

  • Identify the journals and publishers most frequently used for OA publishing.

  • Determine whether these outlets are included in Rutgers University Libraries’ subscriptions or covered under existing Transformative Agreements.

  • Map co-authorship patterns to highlight collaborative research networks—both local and international.

By comparing actual publishing behavior with survey responses, the study offered a nuanced understanding of faculty perceptions versus practice. This dual approach not only validated certain assumptions but also revealed gaps in awareness and access.

Ultimately, this initiative exemplifies how libraries can lead in reimagining scholarly communication. The findings enable more targeted outreach, promote awareness of institutional resources such as APC support and Transformative Agreements, and support informed, equitable publishing decisions. In doing so, librarians are not just supporting research—they are shaping a more open, connected, and collaborative academic future.