Author(s): Kishore Vattikoti
The era of open access publishing has made greater impact on the modern academic and scientific world. The aim of the present study is to introduce the new paradigm of open access publishing, which is believed to be the most reliable model for online publishing of peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals. This open access model enabled the academicians and researchers to publish and access research outcomes seamlessly without any limitations. ‘Pay-Access’ publishing involves a relatively stringent process to publish research outcomes and demands payment for publishing and accessing the content. This restricts the aspiring researchers and young professionals, who desire to explore similar research taking place across the world. This led some publishers/editors to devise an alternative method of publishing i.e., Open Access publishing. This medium helped many authors and researchers are gaining wider recognition of their research contributions. Pay-Access Publishing is generally preferred by the authors funding resources and can afford to pay the charges of publishing and subscription. It is quite evident that Global North has considerable sources of funds from various agencies and government bodies for conducting research and publishing their research findings. Most of the countries in Global south are not in a position to afford such huge fees charged by pay-access publishers because of insufficient funds or prioritization of the limited research funds for carrying out research activities. Although, the Global South is not getting enough funds for their research, but the capability of the conducting research is potentially high. This paper evaluates the differences in funds allocated for Global North vs. Global South and its association with the choice of either Open Access or Pay-Access mode of publishing. Additionally, the study articulates, how Open Access Publishing has become prominent in the world of scholarly journals.