Open access (OA) refers to access to publications made available without constraints such as payment or passwords.
Open access publication can mean different charging models sometimes called author pays. The costs are more often covered by the research funding body (such as Wellcome Trust) or the author’s institution.
•Some journals are totally open access
•Some journals are ‘hybrid’ open access (some free articles and some by subscription only)
The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) provides a useful list of Open access journals.
OpenDOAR provides a list of open access repositories.
There are 2 open access routes: Green and gold.
Green
Deposit a copy of the item in an open access archive such as a University repository such as City Research Online. Some authors place their work in a subject repository such as REPEC.
Gold
Articles can be published in:
An open access journal or a journal that offers an open access option. A fee is usually payable (often paid for by the author’s institution or funding body)