A Survey of U.S. Science Journalists’ Knowledge and Opinions of Open Access Research

Abstract

The growth of open access (OA) has been reflected through the use of OA research by the news media, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic spurred more researchers to share preprints in open repositories. However, little is known about what journalists, particularly science journalists, actually know of and think about OA research as it pertains to their work. This study seeks to help answer these questions by surveying science journalists working in the United States. Results show a broad awareness of OA and related concepts. They also show that a majority of respondents are willing to use Gold OA and Hybrid OA scholarly articles as sources, although they expressed more hesitancy in using Green OA articles, especially when they are preprints. Respondents showed awareness of the term “predatory publishers,” and a majority expressed concern about them.