Over the past two decades, Gold Open Access (OA) has evolved from a niche idea to a key part of the academic publishing landscape. In OA, scholarly articles are made freely available to everyone at publication, which has made it a central part of discussions around access, equity, and sustainability. While this unrestricted access to knowledge is prized by global funders, institutions, and researchers, the landscape is still changing; new technologies, policies, and financial models are shaping how Gold OA is funded and understood.
Sage, like many publishers, supports multiple OA models, including Gold, Green, and Hybrid. In this post, we will primarily focus on the Gold model, in which articles are available to all readers, without a paywall, from the time they are published. In this model, publication is usually funded by an article processing charge (APC), which is paid by the author, their institution, or a funder at the time of article acceptance. Gold OA began as an alternative to traditional subscription journals, and grew rapidly; recent data suggests that around 38% of journal articles, reviews, and conference papers are now published via Gold OA, and this number is continuing to increase.
While we can’t be certain what will develop, several key trends seem to be shaping the next phases of Gold OA:
- AI and automation: AI is everywhere, and publishing is no exception; it’s beginning to play a role in workflows, metadata tagging, content curation, and more—and all these changes come with new ethical considerations.
- Peer review changes: Current peer review processes are evolving to address changing needs, including increased transparency to build trust and decrease delays, plus working to stay ahead of ethical risks that could come with peer reviewers (and authors) using AI.
- Metadata improvements: Gold OA articles are getting a boost in discoverability, thanks to persistent identifiers (DOIs, ORCIDs) and machine-readable licensing.
- Expansion outside of STEM: While Gold OA will continue to grow within STEM fields/journals, it’s also developing quickly in social science and humanities research. Initiatives such as OPERAS are proof that this is a necessary and exciting change.
With all these changes (and more), it’s difficult to guess how Gold OA will evolve; however, some predictions for the next five years include:
- Policy changes: Government policies and funder mandates may require more authors to publish OA, pushing more journals toward full Gold OA, and potentially away from hybrid models.
- Greater equity for participation and access: APCs vary widely, with many exceeding $3,000 and some even reaching $10,000+. Despite initiatives such as Research4Life and waivers, many researchers are still unable to afford to publish Open Access. The future of Gold OA will likely include more diverse funding models, such as transformative agreements, consortia funding, and more to address this disparity.
- APC Transparency: Similarly, the future of Gold OA is likely to include clearer justification of APC pricing, possibly including metrics to prove the value of APC fees being paid.
- Global communities and inclusivity: Research communities are increasingly global, and the ability to connect on various platforms-- regardless of location, language, or other previously-limiting factors—will allow for greater representation and shared knowledge. These connections are also fostered by other rapidly-growing OA publishing programs, such as Special Collections or curated research topics.
Gold OA has evolved from a small experiment to a mainstream scholarly model. As policies evolve and infrastructure matures, the academic community must work collectively to ensure that OA continues to be sustainable, transparent, and equitable. Sage remains committed to supporting this transition—through ethical publishing practices, author support, and global partnerships.
Register now for our upcoming webinar, Discover Sage Gold Open Access: Your Partner in Research Excellence, on July 28.
