Open Access Publishing Basics
Open Access (OA) publishing refers to the free, immediate, online availability of scholarly work, often with fewer copyright or licensing restrictions than traditional publishing, and always without subscription or paywall barriers. As such, it supports global knowledge-sharing, increases the visibility of authors, and can lead to more citations.
Open Access Models
There are three types of Open Access models: Green, Gold, and Diamond. Each are explained in depth here. Many of these models employ Creative Commons (CC) Licenses to grant specific permissions for reuse and distribution of content. You can find out more about CC Licenses at this online guide.
Green Open Access
Green OA is a self-archiving model where the author deposits a version of their manuscript in a repository (institutional or subject-based), often after publication.
This means that the work is free for the author to publish and free for the reader to access BUT...
- It may be embargoed (restricted from access) for up to 3 years.
- The version of the work shared publicly may be the preprint or post-print, not the final published PDF put out by the journal.
Your contract with your publisher will determine how/if your article is subject to an embargo and what version you can legally post publicly.
Think of Green OA as traditional publishing AND THEN sharing a version of your article in a public archive later.
Wondering if your author contract allows you to take the Green OA path? Look up the journal or publisher below.
Not sure what your Open Access options are after you publish? Talk to your librarian!
Gold Open Access
Gold OA is when an article is published in an Open or hybrid journal and made freely available by the publisher immediately upon publication, when an Author Processing Charge (APC) is paid.
Gold OA can be thought of as “free to all ... except the author.”
What you should know about APCs:
- An APC is a fee that some publishers charge authors to cover the editorial and publishing costs of Gold OA articles.
- An APC can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars based on the journal's prestige and business model.
- Paying an APC does not guarantee quality and should be evaluated alongside other factors like peer review policies and journal reputation.
Are you working with a journal that charges an APC? Contact the library about their ongoing Transformative Agreements (TAs) with publishers, to see if you can waive your APC. Read this primer to learn more about TAs.
Hy
brid Journals - scholarly publications where some articles are OA because of author APCs, while the rest require subscription access. This gives authors no-cost and for-cost options for publishing in the same outlet but it does pose some challenges to the larger goals of the OA movement.
Diamond Open Access
Diamond OA is a fully open access model where neither readers nor authors pay.
In a Diamond OA journal, articles are openly available online, without paywalls; there is no cost to publish, and there is no cost to access the work. These journals are typically supported by academic institutions, libraries, or scholarly societies and funded by government agencies or large grants.
Basically, Diamond OA is open for ALL.
Below are some public lists of Diamond OA journals, organized by publisher, organization, and discipline. But, there are many more!
OA Publishing Guidance
- OASPA (Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association) - non-profit trade association representing organizations that publish scholarly literature.
- SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resource Coalition) - international alliance of academic libraries that shares news and best practices centered on Open Access principles.
OA Repositories
OA Repositories can be institutional or subject-based. Examples below.
- Rollins Scholarship Online - Rollins' hub for open research by faculty and students.
- arXiv.org - an open, pre-print repository for scholarly works in physics, math, and computer science.
- PubMed Central - a free, full-text online archive of biomedical and life science literature from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
ResearchGate.net & Academia.edu
ResearchGate and Academia.edu are NOT considered open access repositories.
These platforms are for-profit academic social networks (like Facebook or LinkedIn), not true open access archives. They lack stability and discoverability, and posting work there can violate publisher copyright agreements.
For a fuller introduction to Open Access (OA) see Perter Suber’s Open Access Overview:
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Open Access
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ISBN: 9780262300988Publication Date: 2012-07-20
Library Support for Open Access
The library offers grant opportunities for instructors to support the creation of open educational resources.
Explore Grants →
You can find a list of all registered Diamond OA journals in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) by filtering by “Without fees.”
Open Access (OA) Myths and Realities
Because open access (OA) is a newer scholarship model and offered in several varieties, it is sometimes misunderstood.
It’s important to know that just like traditional subscription-based journal publishing, reputable OA publishers comply with well-established peer-review processes, maintain rigorous publishing standards, and have a high standing in most fields.
See some of the myths about OA journals and note the realities that dispel those myths:
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
|
“OA journals are low quality or not peer-reviewed.” |
Open Access is a model of distribution — not a measure of quality. Many OA journals have rigorous peer review and editorial standards. Some are among the most cited in their fields (e.g., PLOS ONE, eLife, and more). |
|
“If I publish OA, no one will take my work seriously.” |
Open Access increases visibility and citations, especially for global scholars or those with interdisciplinary audiences. It elevates your work in terms of online discoverability and doesn’t prevent you from being indexed in critical academic databases either. You may even get access to metrics that can show your impact! |
|
“OA publishing always costs money.” |
Not true — Green and Diamond OA are free options for authors. Even Gold OA journals may waive or reduce APCs in some scenarios if national grants are involved. Need an APC waived? Just try asking! Also, many publishers offer hybrid journals which always offer a no-cost route to publication. |
|
“OA means I give up my rights.” |
Quite the opposite — OA often uses Creative Commons licenses, which let you retain rights and choose how others use your work. |
|
“I can’t publish in a prestigious journal if I want Open Access.” |
Many major, reputable publishers offer OA in highly ranked titles. Also, depositing your manuscript in a disciplinary or institutional repository allows you to achieve Green OA compliance – getting your work out there to the public – and doesn’t prevent you from working with preferred journals. |