Open access in the context of Information Science research

Abstract Open access is a scientific dissemination mechanism that aims to democratize access to scientific research results, removing barriers to access and permission to published content. Such barriers often marginalize authors, institutions, or countries with less financial resources. In this context, this work aims to understand the world scenario of open access research, in the field of Information Science, in the last six years (2015 to 2020) and to identify possible suggestions that can improve the future of research on this subject. Bibliometric analysis was used to achieve these objectives. We used Scopus database as a source of information, combined with the SciVal tool. As a result, 1139 documents were retrieved on the open access area, and from the analyses, it was possible to characterize the sample, identify the main contributors and verify the quality of research on the open access field. We were also able to identify the main actors in the international scope, the research areas most engaged with the open access and to propose, from the complementary literature, a proposal to promote open access research through international and national collaborations among other authors.