Publication is an important end in the pursuit of research. It constitutes the capstone to many research undertakings. It is not uncommon for researchers to find themselves caught in a dilemma as to whether to publish their research using open access journals or restricted access ones. Open access journals are globally available for free while restricted access journals require payment of fees for access. In resolving this dilemma, a number of factors come into consideration including the journals’ impact factor and indexing, the researcher’s targeted audience and institutional preference amongst others.
The subject of open access publishing has attracted mixed feelings from different quarters of the research community. On the one hand, open access publication has been heavily discredited as being a fraud where substandard research gets published so long as money is involved. It has been claimed that such publication platforms provide the pathway of choice for academics in desperate need for quick promotion and recognition. On the other hand, proponents for open access have argued that such a platform ensures that knowledge is as widely accessible as possible. They have labelled restricted access publishing as being elitist and so, a hindrance to the advancement of knowledge.
In architecture and building science, there are a number of open access journals. Out of these, the Buildings journal published by Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) seems to be the most popular. This journal is based in Basel, Switzerland and was founded in 1996.
The journal accepts submissions on a wide range of areas generally within the scope of architecture, building science and building engineering. These submissions are peer reviewed prior to publication.
Buildings describes itself as an open access journal that is available freely to readers. Authors and/or their institutions are responsible for the payment of article processing fees. Articles published in this journal are distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License where the author retains the copyright.
The journal positions itself as a strong advocate for open access publishing. The publisher, MDPI, has even claimed that it is on account of such advocacy that their journals have been marred in controversy bordering on the quality of the research that they publish.
AMOS KALUA 