In this article, SK Chua et al. analyze the phenomenon that citations of papers are positively influenced by the journal’s impact factor (IF). The authors argue that for non-open access (non-OA) journals, this influence may be due to the fact that high-IF journals are more often purchased by libraries, and are therefore more often available to researchers, than low-IF journals. This positive influence has not, however, been shown specifically for papers published in open access (OA) journals, which are universally accessible, and do not need library purchase. This article therefore addresses the question whether the IF influences citations in OA journals too. By analyzing 203 randomized controlled trials (102 OA and 101 non-OA) published in January 2011, the authors found that it is better to publish in an OA journal for more citations than in non-AO journals. On the other hand, if one wishes to publish in a non-OA journal, it is better to choose one with a high IF.

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