Looking for data?

In this data-driven age, it’s sometimes perplexing and overwhelming to find the data we need, let alone to analyze and curate it for our own purposes. Marketers know these problems well, but surely many others seeking to make strategic decisions, grow businesses, predict futures, will relate.

Delta Think’s Open Access Data and Analytics tool seeks to remove the anxiety of finding, evaluating, collating, analyzing, curating and continually updating data that relates to Open Access. Going a step further, I think the tool also helps to contextualize the Open Access data it collects from publisher surveys, industry reports, and other verified sources, within the broader context of all articles published, Seems like somewhat of a well kept secret - a living, breathing version of the kinds of OA market reports that are often read, retweeted, and forgotten until the next update becomes available. This is often years later.

There is a public version of the tool that Delta Think makes available here. It’s useful, though the premium version is much more in-depth, lifting the lid on article processing charges by publisher, as they relate to impact, and so on. Market dynamics are broken down into regional dynamics (what areas of the world publish OA most, and how does what they do publish OA stack up to their overall output of all articles regardless of license type?), publisher dynamics and subject dynamics (each fairly straightforward). Combined with market growth projections, and views into funding patterns and compliance with funder mandates by publisher, I think the tool should be thought of as a ‘one-stop shop’ for market data.

It’s also useful that the tool allows for ‘digging in’ to charts by clicking into them, redrawing them according to filter selections, revealing helpful information via mouseover, and with premium access, the ability to export for further customized analysis, joining with in-house or offline datasets, or making further custom visualizations (though the tool offers multiple chart type options).

I am no expert on Plan S, or the nuances of OA, still, I’d be happy to give you a demonstration of this tool. I see something new, and learn something new each time I click through it. I am learning based on listening for what different organization types are looking for in the tool, and I am stumbling on new data as frequent updates and enhancements within the tool are made continuously by the Delta Think team.

A view of the public access version of the tool rendering a chart highlighting, by subject area, volume trends for OA output vs. subscription content. Used by permission from Delta Think. © 2017-20.