The Researcher's Dilemma

Welcome. This discrete choice experiment investigates how researchers navigate the complex landscape of scholarly publishing. We aim to understand the trade-offs you make between journal prestige, open science practices, review speed, and publication costs.

Informed Consent

Please read and confirm the following statements to participate:

I am at least 18 years of age. I understand that my participation is entirely voluntary and I can withdraw at any time. I understand that all data collected is completely anonymous (no personally identifiable information is collected). I consent to the anonymized data being published on the Open Science Framework (OSF) for meta-scientific research purposes.

About You

Before we begin the scenarios, please provide some context regarding your academic background.

Current Career Stage:

Have you ever authored/co-authored a published peer-reviewed paper?

Are you familiar with the concept of APCs (Article Processing Charges)?

Are you familiar with the different types of Open Access (e.g., Gold, Green, Diamond)?

Study Instructions

Imagine you have just finalized a manuscript that you are very proud of. You now need to choose where to submit it.

You will be presented with 10 scenarios. In each scenario, you must choose between two hypothetical journals. They vary based on four factors:

Prestige: Indicated by Impact Factor (IF).
Cost: Required Article Processing Charges (APCs).
Speed: Time from submission to first decision/publication.
Transparency: Requirements such as Open Data or Registered Reports.

Scenario 1 of 10

Which journal would you submit your manuscript to?

I would not submit to either

Final Questions

Thank you for completing the scenarios. Please answer a few final questions.

In your own words, what is the single most important factor for you when choosing a journal in real life?

Did the choices you made in this study accurately reflect your real-life publication behavior?

Do you have any additional comments regarding this study or the topic of scholarly publishing? Optional

Study Complete

Thank you for your contribution to meta-scientific research. Your responses have been securely and anonymously recorded.

Your Publishing Profile:

You may now close this window.