Open Access Publications with Article Processing Charge (APC) Payment: a Brazilian Scenario Analysis

The expansion of open access publications has been correlated with specific government policies in many countries. The evolution in these cases is understandable within the framework of funding regulations. However, this is not the case for Brazil, where no regulation is currently in place. The unusually high percentage of open access publications in the Brazilian scientific community is analyzed here toward understanding which factors influence this growth and how similar effects may also impact other countries, particularly developing nations. We found that from 2012 to 2019 the Brazilian scientific community drifted to international open access journals. This transition is discussed in the framework of mega journals.

Automated summary

The expansion of open access publications is correlated with government policies in many countries, but Brazil, without regulations, has a high percentage of open access publications. The Brazilian scientific community has shifted to international open access journals from 2012 to 2019, discussed within the framework of mega journals.