Research Article

Challenges of Open Access Adoption in Low-Resource Settings: Lessons From Tunisia

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Abstract

Introduction: Open Access (OA) publishing is a transformative movement that removes subscription barriers to facilitate unrestricted dissemination of scholarly research. This study aims to identify gaps in OA adoption in Tunisia, assess whether Gold OA publications enhance the visibility and impact of research, and determine how OA publishing aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Methods: Using Scopus data, we performed a bibliometric analysis of Tunisian research (2020-2024), including publication trends, citation metrics, SDG alignment, and funding sources of OA publications.

Results: Despite high regional productivity, over 60% of publications by Tunisian researchers remain paywalled, limiting their visibility. Hybrid Gold OA demonstrated the highest citation impact, while the advantage of Gold OA was constrained by publication in lower-prestige journals. Although Medicine, Computer Science, and Engineering were the dominant fields in OA output, only 40% of OA publications were aligned with the SDGs. International collaboration, notably with Saudi Arabia, was a key driver of OA adoption. However, high article processing charges (APCs) and a heavy reliance on institutional funding present significant financial barriers.

Conclusion: Tunisia’s OA expansion is hindered by financial sustainability challenges and a misalignment with SDG-focused research. To enhance global research visibility and contribution to sustainable development, we recommend strategic policy shifts: redirecting funds from subscriptions to OA models, pursuing transformative agreements, supporting Diamond OA, and incentivizing high-impact, sustainability-focused research.

Keywords: Article processing charges, Bibliometric analysis, Open access adoption, Research Impact, Sustainable development goals, International collaboration, Financial barriers

How to Cite:

Mhamdi, R. (2026). Challenges of Open Access Adoption in Low-Resource Settings: Lessons From Tunisia. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 14(1), eP21182. https://doi.org/10.31274/jlsc.21182 

Rights:

© 2026 The Author(s). License: CC BY 4.0