Publishing characteristics and development trend of mega-journals in open science environment
[Purposes]Mega-journals have become one of the main sources of information for scientific research results worldwide,and research on their development and publishing characteristics can provide references for the construction of Chinese journals in the open science environment.[Methods]Through empirical research,we analyzed the development process and stage of mega-journals,as well as the publishing characteristics of high-impact mega-journals,and redefined mega-journals.[Findings]The findings include the evolution of the number of mega-journals,publication scale and influence distribution,as well as characteristics such as the scope of disciplines,publishing institutions,business models,article processing charge pricing,preferential policies,review standards,review models,and author services provided.[Conclusions]It is found that only the open access publishing model and a large volume of articles are the essential characteristics of mega-journals.Currently,the number and scale of mega-journals are in a relatively stable period,but their internal development trend is becoming more diversified.The ranks of professional mega-journals are expanding.Most mega-journals adopt relatively flexible quality control strategies.Article processing charge prices continue to rise,but business models tend to diversify.Open peer review and open data are generally supported,and comprehensive author services based on the research cycle are offered.
Open scienceMega-journalOpen accessPublishing characteristicDevelopment trend
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