Imagine you’re a researcher who has to write an in-depth essay on the effects of inflation on small businesses in new and growing markets.
To back up your statements, you need evidence; facts, figures, and statistics. You fire up your browser and set about researching.
You find the perfect summary in an article that matches your argument. You go to read more and suddenly, you’re hit with a paywall.
The journal kindly informs you that you need to pay to continue accessing the document. OA, or Open Access Publishing, aims to change all of that.
York University Libraries describe Open Access publishing as the practice of making scholarly research available for free, publicly, online.
Traditional publishing models often involve paywalls or subscription fees which can make research inaccessible without payment. OA essentially transforms this process.
Most OA works are published under the Creative Commons licensing structure with different designations, like CC BY, which means you can share, adapt, and build upon a work as long as you give credit to the original author.
Open Access also typically publishes online by default, given the global reach of the internet.
To better understand how Open Access Publishing works, it’s worth taking a closer look at the different models available.
They include:
With Gold Open Access, as noted by Springer Nature, the content is freely available on the publisher’s website. Access is funded through Article Processing Charges (APC) that may be covered by the author, their institution, or other funding.
Although access to research is free, there are still costs associated with publishing, including the editorial process, peer review, administrative costs, digital hosting, and so on. This is where APCs come into play.
Leading journals (think Nature or Springer Nature) with a strong reputation may charge higher fees.
Springer Nature provides information on fees for different journals for 2024 and 2025 publications. Costs for APCs typically range from $1,000-$5,000 per article. Although, some journals may charge higher or lower fees.
Green Open Access is when the author of the work pre-prints or post-prints it in either an institutional archive or a website specific to that subject — however these are typically ‘less discoverable’ locations according to Springer Nature. The publisher may also have an embargo period set up.
Georgia State University describes diamond/platinum open access as the kind of open access that’s typically paid for by an educational institution or even philanthropy. This type of open access publishing doesn’t charge APCs or fees to the author.
Like many other types of publishing and content, AI has absolutely left its mark on Open Access publishing.
For example, AI-powered search makes it easier to find OA articles which increases readership.
Then, some AI tools can help with the peer review and editorial process by checking grammar and spelling, as well as detecting plagiarism.
Another possible innovation for AI in open access publishing could be helping to automate the process of organizing OA articles in a repository by categorizing or creating quick summaries.
OA publishing, by its very nature, generally lets people use and build upon its content and discoveries, so copyright works a bit differently in these cases. Copyright approaches differ across OA publishers or journals, but usually fall into these categories:
In this case, as noted by McGill University, the author retains the rights and grants to distribute the work, a common type of copyright in OA publishing.
However, to enable distribution, this typically includes licensing for the publisher to be the first publisher of the work.
Essentially, the author still maintains control over their research.
Many OA articles use various levels of Creative Commons licenses to express what can and cannot be done with the work.
Beyond these types of copyrights, different publishers might include their own restrictions in terms of whether or not a publication can be used commercially or if it has to credit the author.
The case where the copyright is held by the journal or publisher is more frequently associated with traditional journals — it is less frequent with open access.
Yes, Open Access articles need to be cited just like any other type of article.
You always want to give credit and acknowledgement to the original author when referencing their work to avoid plagiarism.
Here’s how to cite open access articles according to different formats, like APA, MLA, and in a blog post.
Keep in mind that citation style guides may change so it’s best practice to check the style guide for the most up-to-date formatting.
Author(s). (Year). Title. Journal Name, Volume(issue), Page numbers. Example URL
Example:
Smith, J., & Doe, A. (2023). Example of How to Cite Open Access in APA. Example Journal, 15(2), 123-135. https://doi.org/example
Author(s). “Title of the Article.”Journal Name, vol. XX, no. X, Year, pp. XXX-XXX. Example URL. Access Date.
Example:
Smith, John, and Alice Doe. "Exploring the Future of Open Access Publishing." Example Journal, vol. 15, no. 2, 2023, pp. 123–135. https://doi.org/example. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Example:
According to Smith and Doe’s 2023 study published in the Example Journal, Open Access publishing is rapidly evolving (read the full article here).
Then on the text “read the full article here” or directly on the name of “Example Journal,” include a link that points readers back to the original source.
Learn more about how to cite AI as a source.
Open Access Publishing is not without its issues. Here are a few of the most common challenges that open access publishing faces:
York University cautions that one of the most concerning issues with open access publishing is predatory publishing.
While many open access publishers are highly reputable, it is nonetheless important to be aware of journals that exploit the APC model to get paid while offering little to no peer review or editorial oversight.
If you’re interested in publishing in an OA journal, check for the DOAJ Seal of Approval to find reputable organizations worth publishing in.
There are also challenges, particularly for authors, in understanding how the different Creative Commons licenses work.
Understandably, some researchers may be hesitant to release copyrights to the journal or Creative Commons licensing. So it’s important to be fully informed about the process and how it works.
Beyond these challenges, technical difficulties, like detailed digital infrastructure to host, categorize, organize, and archive content is still a cost that needs to be paid. Maintaining these archives over the long term also presents its own set of challenges.
The bottom line is that when it comes to Open Access Publishing, we can all benefit from greater inclusivity and transparency.
Opening access to research, discoveries, findings, and data, helps not only to make research more equitable but also paves the way for groups and individuals to be more connected to insights and shared knowledge.
Learn more about copyrights, publishing, and writing contracts in our top guides:
