Open access definitions and fundamentals
Open access (OA) research is free to any reader, anywhere in the world. It’s also free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
There are many ways to make work OA.
Definitions
There are specialized terms used to describe open access concepts.
Common OA models
- Green OA
- A version of the article or other work is made available in a location other than where it is originally published, typically an open access repository (such as the Libraries’ University Digital Conservancy).
- Hybrid OA
- The author pays a fee (called an Article Processing Charge, or APC) to make their article OA immediately upon publication, within the journal. If they choose not to pay the APC, the article remains subscription access.
- Gold OA
- The author pays an APC to publish the article in a fully OA journal, where all the journal’s articles are immediately OA. However, some publishers use “gold” to refer to articles in hybrid journals that are made open.
- Diamond OA
- The journal is fully OA using a funding model that does not require the author to pay a fee.
Versions of articles
Your journal may allow sharing of certain versions of your article.
- Preprint
- Also referred to as “submitted version,” this is the version of a manuscript that is submitted to a journal, before peer review. Preprints are typically shared in repositories. Journals may have policies about sharing preprints.
- Author accepted manuscript (AAM)
- Also referred to as “accepted manuscript,” this is the version of an article that has gone through peer review and been accepted by the journal. It is the last version the author submits to the journal, before the journal applies formatting.
- Version of record (VoR)
- This is the version of the article published in the journal. This term is somewhat misleading as there is no difference between the VoR and the AAM in the content, just the formatting. The journal will apply an issue number, page numbers, and DOI to the VoR.
Additional terminology
- Article Processing Charge (APC)
- A fee paid to the publisher to make the article open access. The author typically pays the APC, although some institutions have agreements with publishers that waive or reduce the APC on behalf of the author.
- Institutional Repository
- A digital archive hosted by a university or other institution that provides open access to articles and other digital works. The University Digital Conservancy (UDC) allows UMN affiliates to share preprints, accepted manuscripts, or final versions of articles and other works. The UDC is also a place to share presentations, white papers, and reports, and hosts University archival materials. The Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM) is a collection within the UDC that accepts data sets.
- Subject Repository or Discipline Repository
- A digital archive that hosts materials on a specific subject or discipline. These are typically not affiliated with a university and some focus specifically on preprints. Examples include arXiv, PsyArXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv, and RePEc (Research Papers in Economics).
- Creative Commons
- A non-profit organization that developed licenses for open access. Creative Commons licenses offer options for giving permission to share and use materials in certain ways. See more on Creative Commons licenses.
Common questions about open access
Does the Libraries have funding available for Article Processing Fees (APCs)?
The Libraries does not have funding available to cover APCs for individual journal articles written by University of Minnesota affiliates.
We encourage scholars to select journals that both align with their professional goals and rely on more sustainable business practices. Learn more about why the Libraries does not pay APCs on authors’ behalf.
Does the Libraries have agreements that reduce the cost of publishing?
Yes. Learn more information about the Libraries’ current agreements.
How can I publish open access?
There are a variety of ways that University of Minnesota authors can publish their work openly. Many do not require a fee. There are also agreements available to University of Minnesota-affiliated authors that reduce or waive publishing fees.
Where should I publish my work?
To find an open access journal in your field, search the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). This directory of more than 22,000 OA journals allows people to search for journals based on field, language, license terms, cost, and more.
Especially if you are an early-career scholar, ask a trusted mentor or colleague for advice about publication venues that might be suitable for your topic or career stage.
Finally, look at your own reference list. If you consistently read or cite work from a particular journal, think about submitting your own work to that journal. If you repeatedly cite a particular author who you know is on the editorial staff of a journal in your field, consider submitting your work to them.
Need more help? Consult your subject specialist liaison librarian!
What makes a journal “good”?
We generally recommend comparing your own professional goals to a journal’s audience, practices, and scope when deciding whether a journal may be the right fit for a particular piece of research. If your professional goals require a robust peer review process, for example, review the journal’s peer review practices when selecting a journal.
We do not recommend relying solely on metrics like a journal’s impact factor or quartile ranking. Most scholarly metrics are based on proprietary calculations, are computed at the journal level, and do not reflect the quality or importance of an individual article. As a result, not every journal will have an impact factor, and these metrics may also not represent the full breadth or depth of a journal’s impact. For example, impact factors will not capture citations in “grey literature” like policy documents, legal briefs, or news articles—nor will impact factors account for changes in practice.
The Libraries advises scholars to think critically about whether metrics like the journal’s impact factor or ranking will capture the kind of impact their work is intended to have in the communities that are most relevant to them.
How do I know whether a publisher and/or journal is credible?
People are worried about “predatory” journals. But all types of journals and publishers can have questionable practices. Authors must assess journals to determine how well they fit their goals for their research.
The Libraries recommends reviewing the Think. Check. Submit checklist before submitting work to a journal or a publisher. We do not recommend relying on so-called “whitelists” or “blacklists” of journals or publishers. Blacklists are prone to false positives, their inclusion criteria tend to be opaque, and they can suffer from and promote various biases. Additionally, such lists may become out-of-date journals and publishers change practices, names, or ownership, leading authors to draw false conclusions about the credibility of a particular journal or publisher.
Is there a service that will edit my paper before I submit it?
The Libraries does not have an editing service—however, there are a variety of resources outside the Libraries that can help writers and scholars refine their own work before publication.
Undergraduate students can find a variety of programs that will help them edit their own work through the Academic Success Centers. For more information about current program offerings, please refer to the Office for Undergraduate Education’s website.
Graduate students should consult the Center for Writing.
Faculty that would like writing support should consult the Teaching with Writing (TWW) program.
Other University of Minnesota affiliates may contact Publishing Services ([email protected]) for additional information.
Our philosophy on open access
The University Libraries support for open access publishing (OA) is in alignment with the University’s commitment to “making the knowledge and resources created and preserved at the University accessible to the citizens of the state, the nation, and the world.”
The Libraries does not pay APCs for individual journal articles written by University of Minnesota affiliates. Instead, we encourage affiliates to select journals that both align with their professional goals and rely on more sustainable business practices. Learn more about why the Libraries does not pay APCs on authors’ behalf.
Further reading on open access strategies and models
From the University of Minnesota
From the Libraries
- Protect your work: so you can do what you want and share how you want
- Costs and models of OA publishing
- Seeking open, equitable, transparent, and sustainable publishing models
- Using grant funding for research, not publishing
- From journals to next generation publishing
- 'Predatory publisher': A Boogeyman in the Open Access world
From other experts
UMN Open Access Policy
The University of Minnesota’s policy on Open Access to Scholarly Articles was developed by University faculty and approved by the Faculty Senate. It is adapted from similar policies at other US institutions, including Harvard, MIT, and Duke. A policy FAQ is centrally maintained.
Contact
For information about open access agreements and to discuss how to make journal articles available openly, contact [email protected]
For information about launching a new open access journal or to discuss how to make an academic book available openly, contact [email protected]