Yahya Choonara, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Yahya Choonara is a professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and the Chair and Head of the Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP) Research Unit. His article Tannic acid-loaded chitosan-RGD-alginate scaffolds for wound healing and skin regeneration was published under the transformative agreement with the South African National Library and Information Consortium (SANLiC).
What inspired you to choose open access (OA) for your latest research, and how did the transformative agreement support that decision?
OA was selected as it offers increased visibility and impact of the research undertaken by my team. Typically we receive higher downloads and citations compared to non-OA articles. Also with OA we retain our copyright, allowing others to build upon our work. In addition, transformative agreements are supportive and cover APCs including gold OA publishing, making our articles freely and permanently accessible to everyone immediately after publication.
Can you describe any noticeable impact your OA publication has had, such as increased visibility, citations, or engagement with your work?
We have experienced increased citations, a broader audience reach where our work is also accessed by researchers, policymakers, and practitioners leading to diverse engagement and collaborations. Ultimately this leads to greater societal impact of our work that could inform policy decisions, and further drive innovation.
Can you share a moment when you realised the value of making your research freely available to access around the world?
There has been several moments when unexpected emails from people around the world who have been impacted by our work read on an OA platform. This includes policymakers who have cited our research and members of the public expressing gratitude for how the research can impact their life. It underscores the importance of OA in maximizing research impact and reach.
What would you say to other researchers considering publishing OA through a TA?
Take advantage of the opportunity to maximize your research impact. Important to check your eligibility for OA via your institution and understand the terms of costs, copyright retention, and licensing. It is also critical to validate the publisher offering OA and not get entangled with predatory journals or publishers.