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Scholarly Publishing : Open Access Journals

This guide points users to information on academic publishing, covering topics such as measuring journal impact and quality, the peer review process, selecting the appropriate journal for publication, and more.

What is Open Access?

Open access publishing is a model in which scholarly research articles are made freely available to the public. This allows individuals to view, download, and add to the material they are engaging with. Open access publishing can take various forms. For example, while some content may be readily accessible for reading, it may not permit reuse. One common form of open access are journals that offer readers unrestricted access without subscription fees, instead using funding through author charges or sponsorship. Researchers might consider publishing open access for several reasons.

To learn more about Open Access, please read the library's guide on Open Access.

Useful Tools

  • SHERPA-RoMEO: Sherpa Romeo is an online resource that aggregates and analyses publisher open access policies from around the world and provides summaries of publisher copyright and open access archiving policies on a journal-by-journal basis.
  • Sherpa-Fact: Sherpa Fact provides clear guidance to researchers on whether a journal complies with a funder's open access policies.
  • Creative Commons license information

Overview of Article Processing Charges (APC's)

Overview of Article Processing Charges

When researchers seek to publish their scholarly work in specific journals, they may encounter Article Processing Charges (APCs). Unlike conventional subscription fees borne by readers or institutions for accessing articles, APCs are a mechanism employed by open-access journals. In this model, authors assume the financial responsibility for various aspects of publication, including editing, peer review, and hosting. In return, their research becomes freely accessible online. Publishers, ranging from corporate entities to academic societies, utilize diverse strategies to sustain their operations, with APCs representing one such method.

APCs should not be confused with page charges long associated with both print and digital publications. Page charges are used to cover administrative costs as well as the cost of print publication, but do not make the article available in an open access (OA) model

Types of Open Access

There are many types of open access journals, which all fall in different publishing models:

  • Gold – publisher makes articles fully accessible on the journal website, under a creative commons or similar license. An article processing charge (APC) is usually paid by the author (or other funder).
  • Hybrid – a subscription journal where the publisher allows authors to pay to make individual articles open access. Differs from a Gold OA journal because a library (or other subscriber) is still paying for a subscription to the journal, so effectively, the publisher is paid twice for the article, once via subscription, and once via the APC to make the article OA.
  • Diamond/Platinum - journals that publish OA but do not charge APCs. These are funded by institutions, advertising, philanthropy, etc. 
  • Bronze - journals that are free to read online but do not have a license - they are not generally available for reuse.
  • Green – refers to self-archiving generally of the pre or post-print of articles in repositories.

Though green open access generally refers to the post-print of an article, there are three basic version types that can be self archived in repositories:

  • Pre-Prints – The author's copy of article before it’s been reviewed by the publisher, or pre-reviewed
  • Post-Prints – The author's copy of article after it’s been reviewed and corrected, but before the publisher has formatted it for publication, or post-reviewed.
  • Publisher’s Version – The version that is formatted and appears in print or online

Definitions

Common Open Access Terms:

Article Processing Charges (APCs): APCs are paid by authors (often through grant funding). They are used by open access journals in lieu of subscription fees to support the cost of publishing and may generate revenue for the publisher.

Embargo: A period of time set by the publisher in which an academic article cannot be deposited into an institutional or other open access repository.

Predatory Publishers: Predatory publishing is an exploitative academic publishing business model that involves charging publication fees to authors without providing the editorial and publishing services associated with legitimate journals.

Publisher Policy: Publishing companies often have policies related to where and when authors can share versions of their articles.

Paywall: A paywall is a virtual "wall" behind which journal articles exist that someone must pay a fee to access. For researchers affiliated with an academic or research institution, this fee is often paid for by the institution in a subscription-based model. 

Pre-Print: A draft of an academic article as submitted for peer review.

Post-Print: The final draft of an academic article after peer review but before copy-editing.

Publisher Version/PDF: The version of an academic article that is formatted for publication in a journal and/or online.

Repository: Institutional, governmental, disciplinary or other archive that hosts scholarly research.

Working paper: Working papers are similar to pre-prints, in that they are a draft version of a publication and have not undergone formal peer review. When posted online, they may provide an opportunity for the author to received feedback.