Open Access Journal Publishing 2023-2027

In a year where research integrity investigations jarred the industry, where open access journals were booted from key indexes and hybrid titles cut from Plan S, open access publishing continued to flourish to an estimated market size of $1.8 billion in 2022—this according to the most recent report from media and publishing intelligence firm Simba Information.

The report, Open Access Journal Publishing 2023-2027, found that although the industry is in a period of simultaneous adjustment and disruption, growth, as measured in article output or estimated revenue, is quite durable.

“The swift movement of this transition and highly segmented nature of the journals market — that is a recipe for some growing pains. The stakes are high for publishers who may get linked to compromised papers, or plagiarism, casting a shadow on the integrity of the pay to publish model,” said Robert Berkman, managing editor, Simba Information. “Publishers will turn to technology, particularly AI solutions to maintain the rigor and impact of their journals.”

The study found that publishing output has returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. Even with the prospect of economic headwinds, leading nation funders of academic research are projected to maintain their spending at rates that will support publishing growth. Mandates and transformational agreements will ensure much of that growth will be open access.
Open Access Journal Publishing 2023-2027 provides detailed market information for this segment of scholarly journal publishing. It analyzes trends impacting the industry and forecasts market growth to 2027. The report includes an in-depth review of 10 leading OA publishers, including Elsevier, Frontiers, John Wiley & Sons, MDPI, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, Wolters Kluwer and others.