Abstract

The healthcare field actively utilizes open access as a means of scholarly communication to realize the social value of research. However, research on the scholarly communication patterns of early-career researchers who are increasingly recognized as a group poised to lead changes in the academic ecosystem remains extremely limited, particularly in South Korea. Therefore, this study empirically analyzed the perceptions and experiences of publishing in open access journals among early-career researchers in South Korea’s healthcare field. An online survey was conducted from July 21 to August 26, 2025, securing a total of 259 valid responses, which were quantitatively analyzed. A total of 82.2% of respondents had experience submitting to open access journals, and they perceived open access publishing as helpful for disseminating research outcomes and increasing citations. Conversely, they felt burdened by publication costs and rated the journals as having low credibility. Professors had high expectations for fast review and publication, while health sciences researchers perceived greater social impact. Overall, early-career researchers were satisfied with their open access publishing experience and expressed positive intentions to publish again. This is the first study in South Korea to systematically analyze the perceptions and practices of early-career researchers in the health sciences and medicine regarding open access publishing and provides baseline data for future scholarly communication research.