The future of scholarly publishing is Open Access [editorial]

Abstract

Dear readers and authors of Xjenza Online, as Editor-in-Chief, I am also pleased to announce the release of the second regular issue of 2022 of Xjenza Online. In 2022, Malta Chamber of Scientists celebrated its 30th anniversary, so you should not be surprised to learn that the journal is 28 years old! The way we communicate, connect and share has changed drastically since 1996 when the journal was first launched in a printed format, and even more since 2013 when the journal was relaunched as an online free open access journal. This has deeply impacted scientific research and academic publishing as well. Open access is currently the way for academics to publish and achieve a worldwide audience. The future of scholarly publishing lies in open access due to the easy access and distribution of academic publications which are important to everyone: authors, readers, and funders. It has almost become an incentive to researchers to publish open access in recent years, as it is a huge opportunity to broaden the impact of their work. However, some scientific communities remain adamant to publish in open access journals because of the expensive publication fees and concerns about the quality of the peer-review process. In this context, the service Xjenza Online has provided to the local and international scientific community is truly exceptional as the publications are not only open access, but free of charge and the Editorial Board is dedicated to rigorous and fair peer-review. Malta Chamber of Scientists has, therefore, to be commended for their commitment to provide the infrastructure and manpower to keep the journal running through donations and sponsorships which most of the time are rather modest or one-offs. [excerpt]