Find out why the South African Journal of Business Management transitioned to an open access this year, after having being a toll access journal since 1979. Dr Lara Skelly, Research Manager at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, which is the owner of the journal will give some tips to authors on what to expect when publishing in an open access journal. Listen to the 4-minute podcast here.

Transitioning to open access
Dr Skelly explains that as with books, journals used to be a prized commodity and people had to buy them. However, now more than ever research is publicly funded. When authors publish in a closed journal with subscription fees, the public pays twice: for the article to be published in the journal and then to read it. Open access makes it easier for researchers to access the research which increases its potential impact. The more the authors have access to research, the more they can refer to it and build on it for new research. When the public has access to research they can make informed decisions based on quality research findings. Academics worldwide have a responsibility and duty to make their knowledge available and free for anyone to read. It is for these reasons that the journal changed to open access; it is available to all.

Tips for authors publishing in open access
Dr Skelly provides the following practical guidelines for authors new to publishing in open access journals:

• Open access journals are not the same as predatory journals which publish without regard for peer reviews and do not promote research and science. Open access journals are open to peer review and are good for research and good for science.
• Open access journals page fees are a bit higher because closed subscription journals are sponsored by subscribers, so open access journals have to be funded differently. In South Africa, most institutions have funding available for open access journals and, if you are an academic, we recommend that you talk to your librarian about it.

The advantages of citation in open access journals have been studied widely, so you can expect to have a much higher impact. Business management research cited in open access journals has a 50% higher impact than when cited in other access journals.

Submission overview
When you submit an article to the journal, you will be able to track and participate in all the activities related to the processing of it, such as, the review process, copy editing, layout editing and proofing of manuscripts, which are all managed on the electronic platform.

Please visit the journal website, sajbm.org, and contact us should you have any questions about the submission guidelines and procedures.