Trends in Open Access Publishing at Raman Research Institute: A Decade of Gold OA and APC Impact.

This study analyzes open access publishing trends at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) from 2015 to 2025, with a particular focus on gold OA journals listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and those involving APCs. Using data from the Web of Science Core Collection, a total of 1,366 RRI-affiliated articles were examined. Of these, 797 articles (58%) were published in both green and gold OA, comprising research articles, reviews, and conference proceedings. The findings reveal an increase in gold OA publishing over the ten-year period, indicating a growing institutional preference for openly disseminated research. APC model shifts financial responsibility from institutional subscribers to individual researchers or their funding bodies. Many RRI authors published in journals with higher APCs, although some benefited from partial or full fee waivers. This study will try to understand the scope and reputation of the gold OA journal and the motivation behind choosing it. The analysis includes year-wise APC expenditures, categorized by currency and publisher. Further, we evaluate the impact of gold OA in terms of citations and its financial implications. The study also emphasizes the need to explore alternative OA models, such as green OA, and the potential role of external funding agencies in mitigating APC costs. The insights gained here can imply institutional policy and strategic decisions regarding sustainable and equitable OA publishing practices.