Open Access
Open Access denotes a specific approach to publishing research results which allows immediate, free, permanent and unrestricted access by any third party. The term is most often used in connection with peer-reviewed scientific articles, monographs or similar research results. Occasionally, however, 'Open Access' is also used to refer to openly shared research data.
For ease of understanding and maintaining a clear boundary between Open Access to publications and data, which often constitute two entirely different processes and rules, resources used at the UO will utilise "Open Access (to publications)" to refer to the above-mentioned publishing activities, while open access to data will most often be referred to as "Open Data".
Although the definition of Open Access is fairly straightforward, there are several ways to achieve this mode of publishing. Typically, these include:
- Green Open Access: This strategy to achieving Open Access consists of publishing the result in "closed" (subscription-based) access and subsequently sharing it in a repository, typically after an embargo period during which the result must remain available solely within the journal it was first published in.
- Gold Open Access: This approach to Open Access involves publishing the result openly in the journal it has been submitted to. To do this, authors need to choose journals which offer OA publishing alongside regular subscription-based modes (hybrid journals), or fully OA journals where all results are Open Access. Furthermore, Gold OA typically involves a fee in the form of Article Processing Charges (APCs).
Updated: 19. 02. 2025
