LibGuides: Open Access Transformative-Read and Publish Agreements 2024: Home

Open Access Publishing

Open access publishing is a model of scholarly communication that provides unrestricted and free access to research articles and other academic content online. In this model, authors retain the copyright to their work and make it available to the public without the financial barriers often associated with traditional subscription-based publishing. Open access publishing allows for greater dissemination of research findings and promotes greater collaboration and innovation within the academic community.

Benefits of Open Access Publishing

One of the key benefits of open access publishing is the increased visibility and impact of research articles. By making their work freely available, authors can reach a larger and more diverse audience, including researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the general public. This increased visibility can lead to greater citations and recognition for authors, as well as faster dissemination of new discoveries and advancements in various fields.

Furthermore, open access publishing can also contribute to greater interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing. Researchers from different disciplines and geographic locations can access and build upon each other's work more easily, leading to more robust and comprehensive research outcomes. This free flow of information can foster innovation and accelerate the pace of scientific discovery.

Read and Publish SANLiC Agreements for UKZN Researchers

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Open Access is the free and unrestricted online access to publications: to read, download and re-use, subject to proper attribution. The main routes are:

Gold Open Access: Immediate Open Access on the publisher site, usually in exchange for an Article Processing Charge (APC) or Book Processing Charge (BPC).
- There are a number of different models for journals:
  - Subscription (hybrid) journals that offer a Gold Open Access option for an individual article by payment of an APC
  - Gold Open Access journals which do not have subscriptions and in which all articles are Open Access, usually by payment of an APC
  - Mega journals which have a broad coverage of different subjects with selection being based on sound research rather than perceived importance. They usually charge an APC.
- There is a wide range of options for publishing Open Access books and monographs, ranging from scholar led presses, learned societies and large commercial publishers. Many different models of Open Access monograph publishing are emerging. Some, but not all charge a BPC.
Green Open Access: Depositing research in an institutional (e.g. CentAUR) or subject repository (e.g. Europe PMC). The version deposited is normally the author's final manuscript. It may be closed access on the repository for an embargo period after publication. However, major funders increasingly require immediate Open Access.

Open Access publications are licensed to indicate this status and to state how they may be re-used. Creative Commons licences e.g. the creative commons attribution licence (CC BY) are most commonly used.

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