Doha: Qatar National Library is at the forefront of the open access movement in Qatar, and researchers have lauded the easy process of obtaining funding for publishing their papers.
The Library provides multiple avenues for Qatar-based authors to fund the publication of their research. Through the Open Access Author Fund, the Library directly pays the publishing costs on behalf of the researcher. The Library also has Read and Publish agreements with many major publishers, giving authors a fast, easy route to funding.
Both options are available for students, faculty, researchers and staff from any institute of higher education or non-profit research institute within Qatar. The Library has funded nearly 1,000 open access articles since 2017, increasing the reach and impact of Qatar’s research output.
A pediatric urologist at Sidra Medical and Research Center, Dr. Tariq Abbas used the Open Access Author Fund to publish his findings linked to research projects related to birth defects in children called hypospadias. The nature of his work covers a wide spectrum, including genetic makeup, antenatal diagnosis, surgical management, animal experiments and artificial intelligence.
“I used to publish my work in non-open access journals. This made it incredibly difficult for some of our intended audience to hear about our results,” said Dr. Abbas.
The Library’s Open Access team has also made sure to streamline the process for applying for funding. Each funding request is evaluated to ensure the targeted publication aligns with the Library’s open access criteria, no other funding sources are available and the article has been approved for publication during the current year.
About getting access to funding Dr. Abbas said, “The process is straightforward and clear and the team is helpful and always available. Working with the Library’s Open Access Author Fund has significantly increased the visibility of our work and has resulted in higher download and citation rates.”
“I was very satisfied and happy with the promptness, helpfulness and guidance I received from the Library when I dealt with the team on several projects over the past few years. The Library provides a strong foundation of support and help for all researchers in Qatar that can foster outcomes and visibility,” he added.
The Open Access Author Fund promotes Qatar-based research through open access to scholarly research, and creates and supports a permanent archive of Qatar-based research at the Library. Associate Professor of Statistics at Qatar University, Faiz Ahmed Mohamed Elfakihas also used the Open Access Author Fund to publicize his research findings.
"My research interest is mainly in survival analysis, mathematical statistics, reliability theory and quality control,” Elfaki said. “Before using the Library’s open access services, I had many difficulties in getting support in terms of funding the research and choosing the right journal in which to publish the article. Since using the Open Access Author Fund, my research has been viewed and cited a great deal more,” he added.
Senior Scientist at Hamad Medical Corporation, Dr. Shahab Uddin Khan has said that the Open Access team at the Library has made the process of publishing articles easy for scientists and the research community in Qatar.
“My main interest is identifying and characterizing the signaling pathways involved in the development of human diseases, especially in cancer, so they can be used as a biomarker for disease detection and management,” he said.
