Even if the dissemination of Open Access is continually advancing, the transition regarding career decisions in science is taking place only slowly: According to the DORA (Declaration on Research Assessment signed by more than 500 organisations and 12,000 individuals, journal-based metrics should not be taken into consideration for career-based or funding decisions. The content of a paper should play a greater role than the journal in which it is published, and the value and impact of all research output should be taken into account. This would at least promote a fair evaluation of Open Access publications.

Research funding institutions increasingly expect that the results of funded research projects are published in Open Access. This means that it is often essential to publish in Open Access in order to fulfil the funding guidelines.