Erfahrungen mit Open Access – ausgewählte Ergebnisse aus der Befragung zu Nutzen und Nutzung von "Forum Qualitative Forschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research" (FQS)

Abstract

In this article, we will present some selected results from an evaluation of the open-access journal "Forum Qualitative Forschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research" (FQS) with more than 350 readers and authors participating. They had been asked about their use of FQS and possible benefits, about publishing strategies and experiences (both in general and in regard to FQS), and about their attitude towards/acceptance of open-access publishing. One result has been that the Internet became part of everyday life of researchers, and so did retrieving articles, available for free – nevertheless active usage (publishing within an open access paradigm) still seems to be an exception. Possible reasons for this reservation are persisting prejudices about open access: most respondents expect impact and reputation of journals on the side of closed-access journals. On the contrary, for open-access publications quick distribution and reaching a rather broad audience were mentioned as special characteristics. But having a closer look at those who already gained experiences in publishing open access, this view changes: They do not only report an increase of (worldwide) visibility of the own peer-reviewed work, but they also experienced (contrary to publishing in closed-access journals) immediate responses by receiving requests to cooperate, to present their work during international conferences or to participate in book projects. This means that open access publications provide additional impact and incentives beyond traditional impact measures