Faculty Perceptions of Open Access Repositories: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract Open Access Repositories (OARs) are viewed as a new channel of scholarly communication and a way for scholars to disseminate their work faster to a broader audience. Finding a solution to low faculty participation in OARs is an intricate task that requires a deeper understanding of faculty perceptions of OARs. Previous studies have investigated the motivating and hindering factors using different forms of surveys that focussed on external factors, which were either social or technological in context. The goal of this qualitative study was to provide an understanding of the psychology of the faculty reluctance towards their participation in OARs. The results reveal that while close to half of the faculty support the OA principles and are willing to share their work in Open Access (OA), a little over half of faculty seem to be unfamiliar with the OA goals and the purpose of OARs. In addition, faculty comments reveal a wide range of perceived concerns regarding OARs, from submission process, plagiarism, and copyright concerns to the perception of OARs as low-quality publishing venues that can have a negative impact on their academic careers. Thus, to better address faculty needs and concerns, it is crucial for OAR staff to take a multifaceted approach, targeting each faculty concern independently.