What Is Open Access?
Open access, often abbreviated OA, is a model of scholarly publishing in which research outputs, such as journal articles and books, are made freely available online for anyone to read. Many open-access works also have licenses that let others reuse them, with credit, for teaching and further research. The movement aims to remove the paywalls that restrict who can read publicly funded research.
Types of open access
- Gold open access: the final published version is free to read on the publisher's website, often in a fully open-access journal or in a subscription journal that makes the article open.
- Green open access: authors deposit a version of their paper, usually an accepted manuscript, in a repository, such as one run by their institution, sometimes after a delay.
- Hybrid: subscription journals that allow authors to pay to make individual articles open.
- Diamond or platinum: journals that are free for both readers and authors, funded by institutions or societies.
- Bronze: articles that are free to read on a publisher's site without a clear license.
How it is funded
Publishing costs money. In many gold models, authors or their funders pay an article processing charge, which can be hundreds or thousands of dollars. Many universities have agreements with publishers to cover charges, and some funders require open access. Other models are supported by libraries, societies or consortia.
Why it matters
- Access: students, practitioners and the public can read research without subscriptions.
- Visibility: open articles tend to reach wider audiences.
- Policy: many research funders and governments require publicly funded research to be open.
Finding open-access articles
- Search directories of open-access journals.
- Use search tools that highlight free full-text versions.
- Check repositories and preprint servers.
- Ask your library.
- Look at the author's page, where authors often share versions legally.
Cautions
Not all publishers that charge fees are reliable. Predatory journals exploit the model, taking fees with little or no peer review. Check that a journal is indexed in reputable directories and has a real editorial board. Make sure that you are using legal sources, and avoid pirate sites.
For students as authors
If you publish research, learn about your institution's open access policy, licenses and funding. Cite open-access sources just like any other.
Related terms
See preprint, scholarly journal, peer review, DOI and impact factor.
Frequently asked questions
Is open access the same as free?
It is free for readers, but someone pays for publishing, often the authors, their funder or an institution through article processing charges, or through other funding models.
Is open access research lower quality?
No. Many open-access journals are rigorously peer reviewed. Quality varies, as it does for subscription journals, so check the journal's reputation.
How can I find open-access versions of paywalled articles?
Check the publisher's page, your library, the author's website or institutional repository, preprint servers and tools that search for legal free versions.