An interview with Ho Chi Minh City Open University Journal of Science on joining OASPA

Ho Chi Minh City Open University Journal of Science has recently become a member of OASPA as a small professional publisher, further enriching the growing community of members. To gain more insight into their recent affiliation with OASPA and to learn more about them, we conducted an interview with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thuan Nguyen, Editor-in-Chief.

Tell us a bit about your organisation and the service it provides – and your role within it?

Ho Chi Minh City Open University Journal Of Science is a publisher including multidisciplinary academic journals that follow a double-blind peer-review process and open access policy. We publish high-quality research across various fields, including Economics and Business Administration, Social Sciences, Engineering and Technology. Our mission is to promote knowledge sharing and innovation through open access to scholarly work. As the Editor-in-Chief, my role involves overseeing the editorial process, ensuring the quality and integrity of published content, and driving initiatives to expand the journal’s reach and impact.

Why did you decide to join OASPA and what do you hope to get out of your OASPA membership?

We decided to join OASPA to align ourselves with a global community committed to advancing open access in scholarly publishing. Our goal is to learn from the best practices of other members, collaborate on initiatives that foster openness, and enhance the visibility and accessibility of our published research. Through this membership, we aim to strengthen our contribution to the global movement toward more equitable access to knowledge.

How is your organization showing its commitment to making globally equitable participation in open scholarly communication a reality?

Our Journal is dedicated to removing barriers to access by publishing all articles under open access licenses, ensuring that knowledge is freely available to researchers and the public worldwide. We also prioritize submissions from underrepresented regions and support authors through fee waivers, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder the dissemination of valuable research.

What do you think are the main challenges for funders and institutions to overcome to better incentivise open publishing practices as a positive contribution to career development?

One of the main challenges is the need to shift the perception of open access publishing from a secondary option to a prestigious and career-enhancing choice. Funders and institutions must work together to develop metrics that recognize the impact of open access publications and integrate these into tenure and promotion criteria. Additionally, there is a need for sustainable funding models that support open access without imposing financial burdens on authors.

How do you think OASPA can help mitigate those challenges?

OASPA can play a crucial role in advocating for policy changes that prioritize open access in academic evaluations and funding decisions. By providing platforms for sharing best practices, OASPA can help institutions and funders adopt innovative approaches to incentivize open publishing. Furthermore, OASPA’s efforts in promoting transparency, quality, and ethical standards in open access publishing will help elevate its status and credibility within the academic community.

Is there anything else you wish to share?

We are excited about the opportunities that OASPA membership brings and look forward to contributing to and learning from the collective efforts of the community. Together, we can accelerate the transition to a more open and inclusive scholarly communication system.