Not Just Monetary: Arts and Humanities Scholars’ Perspectives on the Costs of Open Access Publishing

Authors

Lindsey Skaggs, Illinois State UniversityFollow
Rachel Scott, Illinois State UniversityFollow
Colby Cilento, Illinois State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

College & Research Libraries

Publication Date

5-2026

Keywords

open access, publishing, scholarly communication, self-archiving

Abstract

Bibliometric and survey-based studies have documented different open access (OA) publishing practices among scholars across academic disciplines. This article reports on interviews conducted with arts and humanities scholars from the United States and explores how OA intersects with their research and publication practices. Beyond the considerable financial costs of OA publishing, findings demonstrate that arts and humanities scholars contend with opportunity, reputational, equity, and time costs as they consider and engage with OA publishing. The authors discuss the implications of these costs for librarians who facilitate the dissemination, discovery, and preservation of arts and humanities scholarship.

Funding Source

This research was funded by an Illinois State University - Milner Library University Research Grant.

Comments

This is the accepted (peer-reviewed) version of a manuscript accepted for publication in College & Research Libraries (accepted: May 5, 2025; expected publication: May 2026).

Recommended Citation

Skaggs, Lindsey; Scott, Rachel; and Cilento, Colby, "Not Just Monetary: Arts and Humanities Scholars’ Perspectives on the Costs of Open Access Publishing" (2026). Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library. 268.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/fpml/268