A new study on the scientific rigour of Wikipedia entries has shown that papers published in open access journals are more likely to be referenced in the online encyclopaedia, as well as those published in high impact journals.

Misha Teplitskiy and co-authors from the University of Chicago analysed over 4000 journals in 26 research fields to assess which were the most important papers and then checked to see whether there were correlations with the references that are included in Wikipedia entries.

Their results are very encouraging for open access publishing: “The odds that an open access journal is referenced on the English Wikipedia are 47% higher compared to closed access journals”.  A journal’s high impact status also significantly increases the chances that it will be referenced, regardless of whether it is open or closed access, which points to a higher level of scientific rigour in Wikipedia entries than may previously have been supposed.

Teplitskiy et al  conclude that “Our research suggests that open access policies have a tremendous impact on the diffusion of science to the broader general public through an intermediary like Wikipedia,”.  This is a ringing endorsement for the role of open access in breaking down paywalls in scientific publishing and disseminating the results of research to a far wider audience than ever before.

arxiv.org/abs/1506.07608 : Amplifying the Impact of Open Access: Wikipedia and the Diffusion of Science