Robyn Mugridge on Open Access: Myths, APCs, and Revenue Generation

Insights Xchange: Conversations Shaping Academic Research

For journals, the shift to open access can feel like venturing into the great unknown, but is there a way to make this process easier? In this episode, Nikesh Gosalia talks to Robyn Mugridge about the adoption of open access practices. They start by discussing Robyn’s journey from an English lecturer to an open access proponent at Frontiers. Robyn debunks some common myths surrounding open access and talks about how society journals can transition into Gold Open Access through Frontiers’ Article Processing Charge (APC) model. Nikesh and Robyn discuss the drawbacks of the subscription model in publishing. Robyn talks about how paywalls could hold back scientific progress and reiterates that open access is the way forward. She addresses the issue of expensive APCs and what commercial publishers can do if researchers can’t afford the APCs. She also offers ideas on potential alternatives to APCs — value-added services that publishers can use to generate revenue. Finally, Nikesh and Robyn discuss the latest OSTP mandate that requires the results of taxpayer-funded research to be open access. They also briefly touch on the evolution of open access in Asian countries, with a focus on China and India.

Robyn Mugridge is the Head of Publishing Partnerships at Frontiers in London. A strong advocate for open access, Robyn is a member of the ALPSP Education Committee. She has over 7 years of experience in the publishing industry with different organizations, including the Springer Nature Group and NIHR Journals Library. Reach her through Twitter or her blog mugspubs.com.

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