Open access articles have democratized the availability of scientific research, but are author-paid publication fees undermining the quality of science? The preprint by Morgan and Smaldino - https://osf.io/preprints/osf/3ez9v Paul Smaldino's text book - [Modeling social behavior](https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691224145/modeling-social-behavior) **Main edisode takeaways (AI-assisted summary)** * There is a wide variability in the quality of papers published in gold open access journals and a wide variate of open access journals, some of which prioritise quality research * Diamond open access and green open access are alternative models to consider. * The publishing industry needs more transparency and mandatory reporting of data. The pressure to publish more can lead to a crowding out problem and a focus on quantity over quality. * Determining the quality of journals and papers is challenging, and there are varying levels of quality within different tiers of journals. * Fraudulent publishing practices, such as paper mills and fake papers, can be facilitated by the market for publishing. * The Publons service (R.I.P) and similar platforms can improve the transparency of peer review and provide a record of reviewers' contributions. * Society journals may offer a better publishing model as they have a reputation to maintain and are less likely to prioritize quantity over quality. **Other links** **Everything Hertz on social media** - [Dan on twitter](https://www.twitter.com/dsquintana) - [James on twitter](https://www.twitter.com/jamesheathers) - [Everything Hertz on twitter](https://www.twitter.com/hertzpodcast) - [Everything Hertz on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/everythinghertzpodcast/) **[Support us on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/hertzpodcast) and get bonus stuff!** - $1 per month: A 20% discount on Everything Hertz merchandise, access to the occasional bonus episode, and the the warm feeling you're supporting the show - $5 per month or more: All the stuff you get in the one dollar tier PLUS a bonus episode every month **Citation**