How to Achieve Long-Term Success in the Shift to Open Access (OA)

In this straightforward guide, we’ll explore the key reasons behind OA’s rapid growth, highlight the challenges and opportunities it brings, and share practical strategies to help you lead, not just follow. Whether you’re already on the OA path or just starting out, this is your blueprint for building a sustainable, successful future in open access publishing.

1. What’s Driving the Rise of Open Access?

Several powerful forces are pushing the shift toward open access:

• Research funders are leading the way. Initiatives like Europe’s Plan S, reforms in China, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health require that the research they fund be freely accessible. Publishers adopting OA are not just responding to competition; they’re meeting new eligibility standards for major research grants.
• Authors want more visibility. Researchers and professionals prefer their work to be widely seen, cited, and used. Traditional paywalled journals are losing favour as the demand for openness and transparency grows.
• Readers expect open access. Students, practitioners, and policymakers, especially when research is publicly funded, expect barrier-free access to the latest discoveries.

For small and medium publishers, these trends mean access to a global audience and a larger market. But they also mean increased competition especially from innovative, agile OA publishers operating with leaner teams. To succeed, you need to be fast, adaptable, and clear about the unique value you offer.

2. Rethinking Sustainability for Open Access Publishers

Sustainability in OA isn’t just about making a profit. True long-term success depends on three key areas:

• Financial stability. Your OA models must generate steady, reliable income to cover operational costs, uphold quality, and support growth.
• Operational efficiency. OA challenges traditional workflows, so publishers need to streamline processes, adopt new technology, and do more with less—without sacrificing quality.
• Environmental responsibility. While going digital reduces print waste, digital operations still consume energy. As climate concerns grow, OA publishers should assess and lower their digital carbon footprints.

A sustainable OA strategy isn’t just about staying afloat; it’s about staying relevant, meeting changing regulations, and ensuring your publishing remains strong in a fast-changing global landscape.

3. Building Resilient Funding Models for OA

Financial sustainability is the biggest challenge in OA. The most common approach—the Article Processing Charge (APC)—means publishers charge authors or their institutions. While straightforward, this method can be unstable: submission rates fluctuate, some authors can’t afford fees, and funding equity remains a concern.

Some publishers work with universities, libraries, or research groups for support. Others explore creative options: corporate sponsorships, crowdfunding, premium services, or hybrid models like “subscribe to open.”

There’s no one perfect solution. Savvy SMEs combine different approaches—mixing APCs with grants, partnerships, and new funding models—to reduce risk and create stable revenue.

Flexibility is key. Relying too much on one income stream can be risky—especially during economic downturns. Regularly test your financial plans, diversify your income, and adjust pricing to stay aligned with your market and community.

4. Future-Proofing Operations in the OA World

Efficiency isn’t just a bonus in OA—it’s a necessity. You need to handle more submissions, deliver faster, and provide a smooth experience.

Automation plays a central role. Automating routine tasks—like initial manuscript sorting, communication with authors, and reviewer assignments—frees your team to focus on higher-value work and speeds up publication. Modern workflow tools can connect editorial and production steps, reducing errors and ensuring consistency.

However, choosing the right technology requires care. Upgrading from old systems to flexible, cloud-based platforms can be costly upfront, but is often necessary to grow and stay competitive.

Refining workflows is equally important. Cross-training staff, simplifying author instructions, and adopting continuous publishing methods help you deliver content reliably and quickly—all without compromising quality.

The key to future-proofing is fostering a culture of learning and agility; being ready to adapt, adopt new tools, and refine your processes as OA standards and user expectations change.

5. Safeguarding Quality and Integrity

Quality should never take a back seat in the rush to expand OA publishing. Nothing erodes a publisher’s credibility faster than compromised content standards.

Peer review remains the gold standard, even as faster publication cycles are demanded. Many publishers are innovating with open peer review and transparent reviewer recognition, while supplementing human expertise with AI-screening tools to catch basic errors or potential misconduct. But technology cannot substitute for clear editorial policies and robust human oversight.

Transparency is paramount. Clear editorial standards and strict adherence to ethics bolster trust, which is especially critical in a landscape where “predatory” OA journals have raised global alarm.

Leading OA publishers strike a careful balance: widening access to knowledge while fiercely protecting the integrity of their content. Their reputations—and their futures—depend on it.

6. Making OA Environmentally Sustainable

Transitioning away from print does reduce environmental impact, but digital publishing is not consequence-free. Cloud computing, data centers, and round-the-clock content access all contribute to a significant carbon footprint.

Forward-looking SMEs are stepping up by conducting digital sustainability audits. These assessments track energy use, identify cost-saving opportunities, and often reveal simple operational tweaks that make a difference—like compressing images, optimizing website load times, and choosing green data centers.

Annual sustainability reporting is becoming more common, with publishers publicly sharing their environmental impact and progress. This level of transparency not only appeals to eco-conscious readers and authors but also signals serious commitment to responsible publishing.

7. Breaking Down Barriers to Equity

Ironically, OA initiatives intended to democratize access can inadvertently reinforce inequity, especially when author-paid APCs become a hurdle for underfunded researchers.

Addressing these gaps is both the right thing to do and smart business. Publishers can introduce waivers or discounts for authors from less-resourced regions, establish institutional agreements to underwrite costs, and design inclusive review and funding processes.

Some initiatives—like diamond or platinum OA models—bypass charges to authors entirely, relying on collective funding or institutional support. Others focus on language translation and policies supporting emerging researchers, further expanding reach and inclusivity.

Embedding equity in OA models expands both the audience and the author pool, strengthening business resilience while advancing the larger mission of making knowledge truly accessible.

8. Growing Through Collaboration

Small and medium publishers face tough competition from larger OA organisations. Collaboration can help level the playing field.

Forming consortia, sharing infrastructure, and partnering with libraries allows publishers to pool resources and expertise. Sharing submission systems, repositories, or even editorial staff can provide scale and services that would be hard to achieve alone.

Successful examples include the Open Library of Humanities, which supports APC-free journals, and Knowledge Unlatched, which unites libraries and publishers to fund open books. Working together boosts efficiency and expands reach—helping smaller publishers compete effectively.

9. Leveraging Data and Metrics for Strategic Growth

What does OA success look like? More than ever, the answers are found in your data.

Beyond traditional impact factors, forward-thinking OA publishers track downloads, citation counts, altmetrics (from social media to policy citations), user satisfaction, and peer review KPIs. Operational metrics—such as cost per article and submission-to-publication turnaround—reveal workflow strengths and weaknesses.

Harnessing analytics uncovers where outreach is working, identifies gaps, and forms the bedrock of data-driven decision-making. For SMEs, real-time insight into performance can drive smarter pricing, highlight trends, and demonstrate OA’s value to authors, funders, and other stakeholders.

Cultivating a data-first mindset turns OA from an obligation into a strategic, competitive advantage.

10. Building for Long-Term Resilience: Practical Next Steps

Building a successful OA practice takes time and careful planning. Start by testing new ideas in a few journals and learning as you go.

Align your teams—editorial, technical, marketing, and management—to ensure everyone works toward common goals. Invest in training so your staff understands open licensing, digital tools, and best practices.

Review your technology—make sure your systems are secure, scalable, and capable of providing useful insights. Focus on investments that improve efficiency and user experience.

Finally, adopt a mindset of continuous improvement. OA will keep evolving with new rules and technologies. Stay connected with your community, gather feedback, and be ready to adapt quickly.

Conclusion: From Challenge to Opportunity

Open access is more than just meeting requirements—it's an opportunity to reshape publishing for the digital age. Small and medium publishers have a big advantage: their agility and focus position them to lead this change.

Success comes from balancing innovative funding, operational efficiency, quality, environmental responsibility, and inclusivity. While challenging, those committed to these principles will build a future that’s both profitable and sustainable.

Ready to embrace the OA revolution? Subscribe for expert tips or schedule a consultation to develop your strategy and set your organization on a path to lasting success.