Types of OA Publishing
There are two main forms of Open Access publishing:
Green OA: self-archiving
- Institutional Repository (CrossWorks), Pub Med, etc.
Gold OA: publishing in an OA or hybrid journal
- may involve an article processing charge (APC)
Source: based on Oberlaender, A. (2020). Open Access - Es ist nicht alles Gold, was glaenzt. In: Open Science. Von Daten zu Publikationen. Zendo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4018594 (CC by 4.0 International).
How Open is Open?
Some open access (OA) journals are more open than others so it is important to evaluate the openness of an OA journal when making decisions about where to publish. The more open the journal will increase the visibility of your work. The rubric found in the HowOpenIsIt? guide can help you determine the openness of a journal using the following components: reader rights; reuse rights; copyrights; author posting rights; automatic posting; and machine readability.
Evaluate OA Journals Before Publishing
The Think. Check. Submit. website offers information and a checklist to help authors identify trusted journals for sharing research.
More information about predatory publishing and how to spot them may be found on our Guide to: Predatory Publishing.