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Open Access: What Is Open Access?

Open Access Defined

Open access (OA) refers to copyrightable works made available without the price and permission barriers associated with the "all rights reserved" model. In the academic context, an OA designation makes research, such as journal articles and data, open online and freely available to the public. By making it accessible to anyone, OA creates opportunity for a more equitable and inclusive research environment. It has direct and widespread implications for academia, medicine, science, industry, and for society as a whole.

Types of Open Access

There are two main routes to Open Access (OA):

  • Gold Open Access: Publish in an OA journal or in a journal with a hybrid OA publishing model. OA journals provide instant access to all articles they publish.In the case of hybrid publishing, the journal provides OA only to those articles for which an article processing charge (APC) has been paid. Some, but not all, OA journals require an APC.
  • Green Open Access: Archive your work in an OA repository, independent of where it is published. In this case, the author self-deposits a version of their work into a free repository such as AUrora, Auburn University's institutional repository. This version is typically not the publisher's version that appears on the website, but the peer-reviewed postprint of the article.

If you have questions about OA publishing, contact your subject librarian for more information.

Open Access Explained!