REPORT 2020 | APC Monitor @UNIMORE 2015-2019

[abstract partially AI generated] This report analyzes the publication trends and associated costs at UNIMORE over the five-year period from 2015 to 2019. In this period, UNIMORE researchers produced a total of 12,463 publications, with 2,265 (18.20%) being open access (OA). Of the OA publications, 80.75% were gold OA, and 19.25% were hybrid OA. The study reveals a substantial growth in OA publications, with an 82.66% increase from 2015 to 2019. The report delves into departmental contributions, highlighting that the Health macroarea led in OA publications with 52.2%, followed by Sciences (23.2%), Life Sciences (16%), Technology (14.4%), and Society and Culture (3.9%). The analysis extends to departmental expenditures, revealing that UNIMORE spent approximately 860,000 euros from 2015 to 2019 on publication-related costs. Of this, 83.4% (718,513.76 euros) was allocated to Article Processing Charges (APCs). The report notes a continuous increase in APC expenses, reaching 96% of the total publication costs in 2019. The report further explores APC expenses by department and publisher. Among the findings, five medical departments accounted for 64% of the total APC expenditure. The report identifies 15 major publishers, with MDPI, BioMed Central, and Frontiers comprising 32% of the total APC costs. A detailed analysis of the top 15 publishers shows a notable growth in expenses for MDPI and Frontiers.