ERIC Number: EJ916694
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 0
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0830-0445
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The Growing Impact of Open Access Distance Education Journals: A Bibliometric Analysis
Zawacki-Richter, Olaf; Anderson, Terry; Tuncay, Nazime
Journal of Distance Education, v24 n3 2010
Open access dissemination resonates with many distance education researchers and practitioners because it aligns with their fundamental mission of extending access to learning opportunity. However, there remains lingering doubt whether this increase in access comes at a cost of reducing prestige, value (often determined in promotion and tenure hearings) or reference of the work by other authors. In this article, we examine 12 distance education journals (6 open and 6 published in closed format by commercial publishers). Using an online survey completed by members of the editorial boards of these 12 journals and a systematic review of the number of citations per article (N = 1,123) and per journal issue between 2003 and 2008, we examine the impact, and perceived value of the 12 journals. We then compute differences between open and closed journals. The results reveal that the open access journals are not perceived by distance education editors as significantly more or less prestigious than their closed counterparts. The number of citations per journal and per article also indicates little difference. However we note a trend towards more citations per article in open access journals. Articles in open access journals are cited earlier than in non-open access journals. (Contains 4 footnotes, 4 figures, and 10 tables.)
Descriptors: Distance Education, Bibliometrics, Access to Education, Access to Information, Periodicals, Surveys, Reputation, Citations (References), Journal Articles, Comparative Analysis, Editing, Citation Analysis
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Publication Type: Information Analyses; Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
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Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A