Hershey, PA, USA – May 31, 2023 – In an impressive feat of transformation, IGI Global successfully transitioned to a gold open access (OA) model within a span of less than two years. Today, all 175+ IGI Global journals covering a wide range of subjects, including Business & Management; Scientific, Technical, & Medical (STM); and Education topics, are openly accessible to researchers and readers around the world.
Serving the Research Community Through the Removal of Content Barriers
IGI Global's decision to make this transition so swiftly was fueled by the growing demand for increased accessibility to research and aligned with the company’s commitment to serving the research community, as well as its collective of more than 200,000 editors, authors, and library professionals. Despite recognizing the potential risks involved, such as a significant loss of millions of dollars in subscription revenue, and a potential drastic drop in the number of manuscript submissions when journals are initially converted to a gold open access model, IGI Global remained steadfast in their dedication to openness and accessibility. As always, they placed their emphasis on serving the research community first and the bottom-line financial gain to the company second.
In the competitive world of academic publishing, unlike other publishing houses who tend to focus the loss of journal subscription revenue as the main reason for not converting their entire journal collection to gold OA, IGI Global as an independent scholarly/scientific publishing house decided to fully join the OA movement, going against the grain by prioritizing the needs of the research community above profitability. The company has clearly understood that the true value of scholarly publishing lies in removing barriers to accessing knowledge rather than profiting from restricted access.
Fast-Tracking Conversions to Open Access and Preventing Double-Dipping
While IGI Global swiftly embraced the OA model, the broader publishing industry has been a bit slower to follow suit, delaying the transition and opting to maintain their traditional subscription-based revenue models. This approach can easily perpetuate the double-dipping practice, where both libraries and authors are charged for access, hindering the progress of open access. IGI Global's proactive approach to pursuing the OA transition showcases their commitment to the research community. They even were willing to take an immediate additional financial hit in other ways, as upon conversion of their journals to OA as a courtesy to the authors whose work had been submitted prior to the conversion, IGI Global generously offered them full article processing charge (APC) waivers upon acceptance of their manuscripts, allowing them to have their work published under gold open access at no cost to them. This was all while IGI Global was still having to deal with inflated overhead costs and the loss of subscription revenue. IGI Global also retrospectively converted upwards of 1-2 volume years for many of its journals to gold open access at no cost to the previously published authors, allowing them to benefit from increased discoverability and usage of their content, and of course greater accessibility to the journal content for researchers all over the world.
By swiftly transitioning to an OA model, IGI Global aimed to be recognized as pioneers, leveraging agile and forward-thinking OA workflows. Their understanding of the evolving needs of researchers and readers drove their commitment to prompt adaptation, prioritizing the interests of the research community over their own financial gain. IGI Global's embrace of open access positions them as trailblazers, challenging the status quo in the publishing industry and advocating for a more equitable and accessible scholarly publishing landscape.
Global Open Access Mandates and Facilitating Change Through Institutional Agreements
This dedication aligns with the mandates and policies of organizations such as the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and COALITION S. The OSTP emphasizes the immediate availability of research funded by taxpayers to the public without restrictions or fees. Similarly, COALITION S, an international consortium of research funders and organizations, mandates immediate open access to research outputs resulting from their support. These mandates underscore the importance of accessibility and the global movement toward open access.
Through their Institutional Open Access Agreements, IGI Global goes beyond traditional publishing norms by offering substantial article processing charge (APC) discounts and streamlining the submission process for university faculty and students. These agreements have gained wide recognition and acceptance from renowned library consortiums, including USA and UK-based groups such as Jisc, Orbis Cascade Alliance, Carolina Consortium, Florida Virtual Campus, and Greater Western Library Alliance, among others. By embracing open access and actively seeking institutional alignment and partnerships, IGI Global sets an example as a publishing company driven by its mission rather than corporate greed. Their actions demonstrate a strong commitment to fostering openness, transparency, and advancing the research community as a whole.
In conclusion, IGI Global's unwavering commitment to open access, even in the face of current financial losses, is something to be admired. By leading the way in embracing change and advocating for more accessible published scholarly contents, IGI Global serves as a powerful example for the industry. Their dedication to the research community and their refusal to be consumed by profit-driven aspirations demonstrates their integrity and unwavering focus on serving the greater good. This is only the beginning of what are sure to be many more profound contributions to the open access movement.
About Dr. Mahesh S. Raisinghani
Mahesh S. Raisinghani is the Lead Professor of Management Information Systems in the MBA (Executive track) at Texas Woman's University’s (TWU’s) College of Business, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the U.K., and the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Association of Information Systems’ SIG-LEAD. Dr. Raisinghani was awarded the Distinguished Research Award by the Association of Business Information Systems in 2022, ISACA’s Excellence in Education award in 2021, TWU's 2017 Innovation in Academia award, the 2015 Distinction in Distance Education award, the 2008 Excellence in Research & Scholarship award, and the 2007 G. Ann Uhlir Endowed Fellowship in Higher Education Administration. He was also awarded the 2017 National Engaged Leader Award by the National Society of Leadership and Success; and the 2017 Volunteer Award at the Model United Nations Conference for his service to the Youth and Government by the Model United Nations Committee. He has published over a hundred manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and book series; edited eight books; and consulted for a variety of public and private organizations on IT management and applications. Dr. Raisinghani serves as the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies; Member of the Board of Directors of the Global IT Management Association; advisor for the National Society of Leadership and Success chapter at TWU; and an advisory board member of Enactus and X-Culture.org. He is included in the millennium edition of Who's Who in the World, Who's Who among Professionals, Who's Who among America's Teachers, and Who's Who in Information Technology.
About IGI Global
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA with a subsidiary office (IGI Science and Technology, Ltd.) operating out of Beijing, China, IGI Global is a leading medium-sized independent international academic publisher of scholarly reference sources. They are committed to facilitating the discovery of pioneering scientific research that enhances and expands the body of knowledge available to the research community through traditional and open access publishing workflows. Working in close collaboration with more than 200,000+ expert researchers and professionals from leading institutions, IGI Global publishes quality peer-reviewed content in three major academic subject areas: Business & Management; Scientific, Technical, & Medical (STM); and Education. Learn more about IGI Global at
www.igi-global.com/about.