Table 4 Aspects

Quality assurance… serves the purpose of creating the actual and/or attributed quality of academic research publications. Procedures such as peer review are used for quality assurance. Occasionally, metrics such as impact factors are used for the attribution of quality. Quality assurance also includes the infrastructure through which OA publications become available.

If the OA publication model provides the same quality assurance procedures as conventional publication models (e.g. peer review, impact factor), this will increase the willingness of authors to publish in OA. It is irrelevant whether these procedures actually increase or measure the quality of academic publications. The attribution of quality from within the academic research system matters most;

For the same reason, if authors perceive OA publications as being actually or supposedly of inferior quality, they become less willing to publish in OA.

Licensing and legal conditions… relate to licensing models such as Creative Commons and to limitations established by copyright law which support the OA publication model.

Authors tend to be resistant towards the OA publication model because they fear a deprivation of their rights as authors;

A better knowledge of OA licensing models and copyright law would increase the authors’ willingness to publish in OA.

Financing and (political) support…relate to APCs covered by funding institutions as well as to policy measures, such as requiring institutions to adopt the OA publication model or to develop and implement OA strategies.

OA financing through APCs, which authors are required to cover may lead them to reject the OA publication model;

Clear guidelines for the financing of APCs (e.g. through publication funds) would increase the authors’ willingness to publish in OA;

The lack of business models for OA monographs and of opportunities for financial support have a negative impact on the willingness of authors to publish in OA;

OA guidelines/funding guidelines increase the willingness to follow the OA publication model;

Some researchers consider an obligation to publish in OA as an intervention into their academic freedom, which may lead to a negative connotation of OA.

Reputation… means the standing of published academic researchers. Their reputation increases, for example, by publishing in recognised journals.

Publications serve to establish a reputation. Academic researchers may assume that OA publications do not establish as much reputation as print publications.

Access and permanent availability… refer to the option of being able to access publications quickly and easily, without technical barriers and in a legally secure way.

Knowledge of access opportunities, and reliable and permanent availability of OA publications increase the willingness to publish in OA and to use OA publications.

Communication and usefulness… mean the exchange of publications and their contents among academic researchers, using modern communication technology/media/platforms within the context of academic research communication.

Authors are not aware that the OA publication model facilitates academic research communication.