Ophthalmology journal article processing charges for publications in a post-COVID world

Abstract

Purpose
The period 2002-2021 saw an annual growth rate of 51.46% in listings of open access (OA) journals in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), with a steeper rate of growth corresponding with the onset of COVID-19. The introduction of OA and hybrid models, which give authors traditional subscription and OA options, may have led to increased article processing charges (APCs). This study aimed to analyze the APCs for ophthalmology journal articles after the COVID pandemic and analyze changes in publication modality and cost.

Methods
APC, frequency of publication, and impact factor (IF) were analyzed for 83 MEDLINE-indexed ophthalmology journals. Data were stratified based on publication modality (OA, hybrid, or traditional), and geodistribution, intermodality, and correlation between APC and IF were compared.

Results
Average APC for OA, hybrid, and traditional journals was $1,310.49, $3,550.71, and $7.18, respectively (P < 0.001). Univariate analysis demonstrated a statistically significant impact of hybrid mode (P < 0.001), traditional mode (P = 0.046), and IF >1 (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a statistically significant effect of the modality of publication on journal APC. Intermodality analysis showed significantly higher APC for hybrid journals than OA or traditional journals, without statistically significant differences in frequency of publication or IF.

Conclusions
Ophthalmology journals are experiencing a subject-wide transition from traditional publication to hybrid modality. Since the COVID pandemic, APCs across all publication modes have increased, and there has been a transition from the traditional publishing model to a more lucrative hybrid model.