Research Guides: Scholarly Publishing Guide: Open Access Publishing

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Subjects: OER: Open (or Free) Educational Materials, Scholarly Communication

What is Open Access (OA)?

"In short, Open Access is the free and unrestricted online access to outputs of scholarly research." Open Access and Digital Scholarship Blog, Imperial College London

OA journals are available online for everyone to read for free, rather than only paid subscribers.

Many OA journals employ scholarly peer-review and rigorous editorial processes, just like commercial journals. Therefore the quality of the research product is not diminished, but access to that product is more open to students and researchers around the world.

Resources to learn more:

Why Open Research? Site built primarily for researchers, to educate them about all the different ways they can be open and how sharing can be beneficial for their careers.
HowOpenIsIt? Tool - A Guide for Evaluating the Openness of Journals "Standardizes terminology to provide a means to identify the core components of OA and how they are implemented across the spectrum between 'Open Access' and 'Closed Access.'" (SPARC in conjunction with PLOS and OASPA)
Open-Access [Monograph] Publishing: What Authors Should Know by Kritika Agarwal, AHA Today, 1 May 2017. This Q&A-style blog post illustrates what the process of publishing an open-access monograph looks like from an author’s perspective.
Myths About Open Access The University of Minnesota Libraries responds to some of the most common myths and concerns about the open-access publishing model.
Resources from The Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI) A glossary of core terms, an index of key stakeholders and organizations, suggested readings, issue briefs, and more.

OA Mandates: Am I Required to Share My Work?

Your institution and/or the funding agency may require open access publishing (especially government funders). Read the terms of your funding and plan in advance. The tools below may help you to identify mandates from your institution and/or funding agency.

Jisc Open Policy Finder (formerly Sherpa Romeo / Sherpa Juliet) "Searchable database of publisher's policies regarding the self- archiving of journal articles on the web and in Open Access repositories. Each entry provides a summary of the publisher's policy, including what version of an article can be deposited, where it can be deposited, and any conditions that are attached to that deposit."
ROARMAP: Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies ROARMAP is a searchable international registry of open access mandates and policies adopted by universities, research institutions and research funders that require or request open access to peer-reviewed research.
Browse Article & Data Sharing Requirements by Federal Agency From the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC)
CENDI list of federal agency public access plans From CENDI (Commerce, Energy, NASA, Defense Information Managers Group)
Plan S - OA mandate by European funding agencies European policy may impact U.S. researchers collaborating internationally with other scholars or research institutions. “After 1 January 2020 scientific publications on the results from research funded by public grants provided by national and European research councils and funding bodies, must be published in compliant Open Access Journals or on compliant Open Access Platforms.”

Access Models on a Spectrum from Closed to Open

APC = Article Processing Charge

Usage of some terms like "Gold" may vary, so always read a journal's policies carefully, or consult the Directory of Open Access Journals for clear information about a journal's OA publishing and author fees.

This terminology was chosen by those advocating for open access to research, so terms such as Gold and Platinum suggest a bias in favor of open. This does not make traditional journals "bad" or make all open journals "better." They are simply different ends of an access spectrum, and an individual researcher's priorities and values will determine the appropriate choice for each individual publication.

Benefits of Open Access Research

Why Open Access Matters | PLOS
Accelerated discovery. Public enrichment. Improved education.

(click on the image to view it full-size in a new window; graphic from bepress):

Directories: Find OA Journals and Book Publishers

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) "DOAJ is an online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals."
Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) "The international community of Open Access publishers - Our mission is to represent the interests of Open Access (OA) journal and book publishers globally in all scientific, technical and scholarly disciplines. This mission will be carried out through exchanging information, setting standards, advancing models, advocacy, education, and the promotion of innovation."
Publishers of OA Books
Luminos - OA monograph publishing from the University of California Press