Science AI Journal
Decision Sciences · Research topic

Open research questions in Academic Publishing and Open Access

208 gap statements mined from Academic Publishing and Open Access papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 3,595 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Academic Publishing and Open Access? See the ranked Social Science journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • The paper notes that the 'One Nation, One Subscription' policy may be costly, perpetuate dependence on commercial publishers, and offer limited coverage. The paper also notes that the mandatory open access policy proposed in India's National Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2020 remains unimplemented.

    Who really owns science? The Sci-Hub ban and the battle for scientific equity · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper suggests that future research should focus on developing sustainable solutions for scientific publishing, such as mandatory open access for publicly funded research. The paper argues that future research should explore the implications of the Sci-Hub controversy for scientific equity and the role of intellectual property enforcement in contemporary scientific publishing.

    Who really owns science? The Sci-Hub ban and the battle for scientific equity · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of how preprint servers work and how they can be used to spread pseudoscience. The paper highlights the need for accurate information about preprint servers and their operations.

    The Preprint Problem Problem: Response to Giangrande · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for governance of AI use in academic publishing. The lack of clear policies on AI use in journals.

    AI in scholarly publishing: From prohibition to accountable use · 2026 · DOI

  • The potential impact of GenAI tools on the status of review papers is not well understood. The relationship between AI usage and citation impact in review papers is not well studied.

    Have we reached the beginning of the end for review papers? · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of clarity on what constitutes a publication under the PhyloCode. The increasing prevalence of preprints and peer review of preprints necessitates a clarification.

    What Constitutes a Publication under the PhyloCode: Discussion and Proposed Clarifications · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on addressing the disparities in access to research and communication faced by scientists in developing countries. It should also explore the use of digital platforms and interactive media in scientific communication.

    Naučna komunikacija u svjetlu tehnoloških (r)evolucija / Scientific Communication in the Light of Technological (R)evolutions · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the need for scientists in developing countries to access and contribute to global research. It highlights the disparities in access to research and communication faced by scientists in developing countries.

    Naučna komunikacija u svjetlu tehnoloških (r)evolucija / Scientific Communication in the Light of Technological (R)evolutions · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of analysis of high-impact scientific publications in nursing in Latin America. The need to identify the top contributing countries and journals.

    Expression of Concern Notice: Status of high-impact scientific publication in nursing in Latin America · 2026 · DOI

  • The article identifies the need for alternative delivery methods to ensure equity in access to technology. It highlights the importance of digital literacy in mobile learning.

    Retraction Notice: Mobile Learning for COVID-19 Prevention · 2026 · DOI

  • There are growing concerns regarding unreliable or fabricated submissions in the biomedical literature. KJPP must balance the need for rigorous experimental validation with the potential benefits of computational discovery and machine-learning analyses.

    What KJPP looks for: guidance from initial editorial screening · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of education and recognition of early inflammatory arthritis among primary care clinicians. The need for a systematic approach to improve clinician confidence and referral times.

    EULAR 2026 Interview: Antoni Chan · 2026 · DOI

  • Studies of grant review have found limited agreement, sensitivity to panel composition and unequal outcomes for some applicant groups; a Cochrane review found insufficient evidence that grant peer review improves the quality of funded research and called for experimental study.

    From Nothing to Fold · 2026 · DOI

  • Sponsor-associated outcome differences and sponsor influence on research agendas are documented; grant-review studies report limited agreement, panel sensitivity and unequal outcomes; a Cochrane review found insufficient evidence that grant peer review improves funded-research quality; and null or negative results remain underrepresented in visible literatures.

    From Fold to Mathematics · 2026 · DOI

  • The journal's future is defined by the collective efforts of its contributors. The journal aims to continue publishing quality papers and advancing the LIS field.

    The Work Continues: A Decade of Purpose, A Future of Possibilities · 2026 · DOI

  • The pursuit of information justice is an ongoing commitment. The journal's mission is to advance LIS conversations worldwide, which is a continuing effort.

    The Work Continues: A Decade of Purpose, A Future of Possibilities · 2026 · DOI

  • Authors working at the intersections of computational discovery, experimental validation, and pharmacological agents will find a receptive editorial home in KJPP. The journal encourages studies that advance mechanistic understanding of how defined pharmacological agents engage living systems.

    What KJPP looks for: guidance from initial editorial screening · 2026 · DOI

  • Evaluating machine learning studies requires careful assessment of training data quality, validation strategies, reproducibility, and potential algorithmic bias.

    Artificial intelligence, peer review, and scientific integrity in cardiovascular publishing: a position statement from the Revista Colombiana de Cardiología · 2026 · DOI

  • Traditional research evaluation systems are becoming less able to capture the new forms of scholarly contributions emerging in the open science ecosystem. The value of open data is still difficult to recognize in paper-centered evaluation systems.

    Rethinking scholar research evaluation in the context of open science: An exploratory case study · 2026 · DOI

  • Open-science expectations are expanding across journals, funders, and research communities but still often feel optional or extra for people trying to build sustainable…

    Open Science brought passion and purpose to my career · 2026 · DOI

  • The development of more innovative publication formats. The implementation of AI tools in scholarly and university education.

    Ten years of innovation and the way ahead in scientific publishing in One Ecosystem · 2026 · DOI

  • The journal plans to index the journal in the Web of Science and Scopus. The team aspires to become even more international in its base of authors and readership. The team plans to continue to invest in early career colleagues.

    Introduction: Updates on AI, DEI, context, and partnerships · 2026 · DOI

  • The field of mathematics education has increasingly acknowledged factors such as emotions, - Standardized measures of academic performance have been recognized as insufficient methods for mathematical teaching…

    Fall 2025 Preface · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of access to archives and primary documents for marginalized communities, - The need for more engaging and relevant histories of social…

    Review: Kipp Dawson · 2026 · DOI

  • No specific future research directions are stated, - Further bibliometric analysis could be conducted to explore the 'Sleeping Beauty'…

    Awakening Sleeping Beauties from articles on mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Academic Publishing and Open Access

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Academic Publishing and Open Access sub-topic

This page shows what the Academic Publishing and Open Access literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, search the Research Gap Finder: the search is free with a free account and lists the papers closest to your topic first. Unlocking that topic (50 credits, charged once) fills the comparison table from our 4.5M-paper local library and writes the gaps from its rows.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Decision Sciences

Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
1,298 open questions
scientometrics and bibliometrics research
889 open questions
Evaluation and Performance Assessment
666 open questions
Technology Adoption and User Behaviour
527 open questions
Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
438 open questions
Ethics in Business and Education
371 open questions
Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
334 open questions
Construction Project Management and Performance
277 open questions
Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The paper suggests that future research should focus on developing sustainable solutions for scientific publishing, such as mandatory open access for publicly funded research (“Who really owns science? The Sci-Hub ban and the battle for scientific equity”, 2026); (2) The potential impact of GenAI tools on the status of review papers is not well understood (“Have we reached the beginning of the end for review papers?”, 2026); (3) The lack of clarity on what constitutes a publication under the PhyloCode (“What Constitutes a Publication under the PhyloCode: Discussion and Proposed…”, 2026); (4) Future research should focus on addressing the disparities in access to research and communication faced by scientists in developing countries (“Naučna komunikacija u svjetlu tehnoloških (r)evolucija / Scientific…”, 2026); (5) The lack of analysis of high-impact scientific publications in nursing in Latin America (“Expression of Concern Notice: Status of high-impact scientific publication in…”, 2026). 208 gap statements have been mined from Academic Publishing and Open Access papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 3,595 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? Acceptance odds for top, mid and open/emerging journals, in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck for prior publication across 7 sources and our local library.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

How Pre-Check worksHow AI Review works

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.