Payment-based open access is biasing scientific participation from the Global South in ecology

Abstract

Opening access to the products of scientific research is widely considered a key step toward both fairness and better science worldwide. Since the 1990s, different forms of open access (OA) to journal articles have emerged to make scientific findings more broadly available. However, a major unresolved challenge remains: how to fund open access sustainably and equitably. Commercial publishers have rapidly adopted profit-driven ‘Gold' OA models, which require authors to pay high article processing charges, a model we refer to as ‘pay-to-publish OA'. Although this approach ensures free access to readers, it creates a significant barrier for authors, particularly from institutions with limited resources. Drawing on an analysis of over 100 000 articles in ecology-related disciplines (i.e. agricultural, biological and environmental sciences), we show that the shift to pay-to-publish OA has already reduced participation by researchers from many middle-income countries. This model imposes a growing bias in scientific publishing, with clear consequences for the inclusiveness, fairness, and global representativeness of fields like ecology. If not addressed, such biases risk entrenching systemic inequities and weakening the quality and diversity of the scientific evidence base.