Publishing in Criminology and Criminal Justice: Assessing Journal Editors' Awareness and Acceptance of Open Access

Matthew Robinson, Allan Scherlen

Appalachian State University, USA

Abstract:

The authors, building upon a previous article that challenged the subscription-based journal publishing model, assess the awareness and attitudes of editors of journals in criminology and criminal justice toward open access, author rights, and related issues of justice. The authors employ a survey to capture opinions from editors of dozens of journals in criminology and criminal justice with regard to traditional subscription-based vs. open access publishing. The results show that editors in the field widely embrace the principles on which open access is based and favor allowing authors more freedom to expand and control access to their scholarship while remaining resistant to making their journals open access. These findings and their implications for "justice" and the future of scholarly communication in criminology and criminal justice are discussed.

Keyword:

Criminology, Criminal Justice, Open Access, Editors, Publishing.