Examining Epistemological Disparities in Non-English Speaking Countries: An Analysis of OA Diamond Journals Based on GDP Level

Abstract

The OA diamond journals(OADJ) can be seen as a channel that can provide diversity in global scholarly communication. Despite the expectations of OA diamond journals, in reality, we face a situation where the economic power of a country affects the global communication of journals. This poster will characterize the epistemological disparity by examining the OA diamond journals published in non-English-speaking countries (NESC) in terms of the level of GDP (high income, middle income, and lower income). For the analysis, we use the OA Diamond Journals Study Dataset, which was commissioned by cOAlition S, and World Bank data. Among the entire dataset, 1,232 journals (82.4%) were published in NESC. The poster will examine three dimensions of scholarly publishing: 1) impact & visibility, 2) funding, and 3) sustainability. To assess impact & visibility, the share of authors from outside the publication country, the perceived importance of foreign readership, and the list of indexes/directories for journals will be analyzed. For funding, financial supporters and main expenses will be studied, while for sustainability, the reasons for OADJ will be assessed. Overall, the poster will provide insights into the global scholarly communication and help identify potential solutions to promote diversity in OA diamond journals.