Articles available for free online are no more likely to be cited than articles published in a subscription journal, but online access is greater, a randomised controlled trial has shown (BMJ 2008;337:a568). The trial comprised 1619 research articles and 11 journals published by the American Physiological Society. Fiona Godlee, editor of the BMJ, said, “The fact that these initial results suggest open access increases usage but not citations fits with the way in which citations are largely generated by people who already have access to the literature and for whom open access is therefore less of a benefit.” (www.iwr.co.uk/information-world-review/analysis/2225248/open-access-citation-effect)
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