Another consideration is the impact of open access on public discourse. There is a recent paper (1) that found that OA articles are more likely to be cited in disputes ("edit wars") on Wikipedia. They conclude:
'Our analysis shows that OA publications are significantly more likely to be involved in disputes, and that disputes concerning OA articles tend to emerge sooner after publication. This pattern can be explained by the increased accessibility of OA articles [Yang et al., 2024], which facilitates rapid dissemination and critical evaluation by a broader and more diverse editor base. These results extend existing literature on OA’s role in enhancing visibility, readership, and scholarly engagement [Yang et al., 2024]. Furthermore, OA articles may disproportionately address emerging, interdisciplinary, or controversial topics, which naturally attract greater contestation and discussion. This is consistent with prior findings that disputes around contested content on Wikipedia often mirror broader societal controversies [Borra et al., 2015].'
1. Yang, P., Traag, V., Costas, R., & Colavizza, G. (2025). Contested Citations: The Role of Open Access Publications in Wikipedia's Scientific Disputes. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2510.14071
Tomas Rees
Director of Innovation
Oxford PharmaGenesis Ltd
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HIFA profile: Tomas Rees is Director of Innovation at Oxford PharmaGenesis, United Kingdom. Professional interests: Pharmaceutical industry communications, AI. Email address: tomas.rees AT pharmagenesis.com