Basson, I., Simard, M.A., Aubierge Ouangré, Z., Sugimoto, C.R., Larivière, V. (2021). Data sources and their effects on the measurement of open access. Comparing Dimensions with the Web of Science. Dans Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Scientometrics & Informetrics, p. 93-98, On line.
With the amount of open access (OA) mandates at the funder and institution level growing, the accurate measurement of OA publishing is an important policy question. Existing studies have provided estimates of the prevalence of OA publications ranging from 27.9% to 53.7%, depending on the data source and period of investigation. This paper aims at providing a comparison of the proportion of OA publishing as represented in two bibliometric databases, Web of Science (WoS) and Dimensions, and assess how it affects the measurement of OA across different countries. Results show that publications indexed in Dimensions have a higher percentage of OA than those indexed by the WoS, especially for publications from outside North America and Europe. The paper concludes with a discussion of the cause and consequences of these differences, motivating for the use of more inclusive databases when examining OA, especially for publications beyond North America and Europe.
This content has been updated on 17 November 2021 at 10 h 41 min.