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Abstract

Purpose: In recent years academic journals have increasingly transitioned to a paid open access (OA) model. The present study aims to identify whether OA or subscription access (SA) influences short-term citations of articles in ophthalmology. Methods: The Dimensions database was queried in October 2022 for articles published in 2019 in the following journals with both open and subscription access options: Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology, JAMA Ophthalmology, Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, and British Journal of Ophthalmology. Article access, citations, country, article type (review, letter/viewpoint/comment, original investigation), study type (basic science/animal model, case report/series, clinical trial, NA, observational) and subspecialty topic were recorded. Articles with a minimum of 5 citations were included. Results: 509 OA and 602 SA publications were included. The majority of articles were US-based (37.6%), observational (57.9%) original investigations (88.8%) that were focused on retina/uveitis (40.4%). There was a significant difference between the mean number of SA citations versus OA publications between original investigations (15.86 vs 25.3 respectively, P < .001) and all articles (16.29 vs 25.04 respectively, P < .001). According to multivariate Poisson modeling, SA status is significantly associated with a lesser number of citations compared to OA articles after adjusting for journal, article type, and subspecialty topic (β=-.284, 95% CI= -.313, -.254, P< .001). Conclusions: Our results indicate a significant association between SA and decreased short-term citations compared to OA articles. Increasing article accessibility and decreasing financial barriers to publishing with OA may facilitate enhanced diffusion and impact of information in ophthalmology.

Received Date

Sep 9, 2023

Accepted Date

Sep 18, 2024

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