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Open Access Publishing

Guide adapted from Tulane University Libraries: https://libguides.tulane.edu/Open_Access/start_here

Types of OA Journal Models

Gold Open Access – The peer-reviewed journal is true Open Access.

  • The article (and Journal) will be universally accessible Immediate access.
  • No embargo period. 
  • Researchers often pay to publish their articles. Fees can be written into grants, paid for by the institution, or sometimes fees are waived/reduced. 
  • Publications fees differ greatly between Journals. Some Journals are not for profit (e.g., PLOS) others are for-profit (e.g., Biomed central). Traditional non-OA Journals often also as the author to pay a publishing fee.

Green Open Access - Article will be published in a traditional Journal, but pre-prints or post-prints may be archived in a repository 

  • The author needs to retain its copyright of their publication. In non-OA Journals, author's give their copyright over to the publisher 
  • There is usually a minimum, a 12-month embargo
  • Articles are scattered throughout the web and on a variety of repositories
  • Similar to Public Access Policies mandated by the U.S. Government​

Hybrid Open Access - Author pays to publish their articles as OA, in a non-OA Journal

  • Journal is subscription/non-OA based but an individual author can pay to have their article OA
  • Scattering of OA articles throughout a Journal
  • Libraries and authors both pay fees - Double-dipping or a transitional stage?

Investigating Journals

Select OA Journal Directories

Apps and Plug-ins