Journal giant Springer reports research that is immediately published gold open access is downloaded 4.4 times more than subscription content

The research, conducted with university associations and libraries in the Netherlands found OA “significantly benefits non-academic audiences.”  Which is one of the reasons why, “Springer Nature is firmly committed to the transition to open research and is a firm believer in gold OA as the most sustainable and effective way to achieve this drive.”

Gold OA is a pay to publish model, which Springer (publisher of Nature) proposes to adopt next year for some of its prestige journals.  Researchers (or more likely institutions) who want research that make the editorial cut to be immediately published OA will have to stump up $A15 400 (CMM November 26).

Perhaps this is why pay to publish is called gold open access.