The effect of "open access" on journal impact factors: A causal analysis of medical journals

The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) has a significant influence on authors of research paper submissions. Whether open access (OA) is beneficial to JIFs and the dissemination of academic research results remains an under-examined issue. Using panel data analysis to address this question, the present study analyzed medical journals extracted from databases such as Web of Science and Ulrich's Periodicals Directory. The results indicate a causal relationship between JIFs and OA, and specifically that: (1) OA enhances JIFs; (2) countries that are less developed in science and technology are more likely to choose OA for publishing papers; (3) authors' publication language and number of published papers, as well as publication release cycles all have significant effects on JIFs.