Open Access (OA) & Scholarly Publishing

Open access is a publishing model for scholarly communication that makes research information available at no cost, unlike the traditional subscription model in which readers can access scholarly information by paying a subscription. Thus, the aim of open access is to make scholarly literature freely accessible and reusable for everyone – that is, free of charge and, as far as possible, free of technical and legal barriers. Any kind of digital content can be OA, from texts and data to software, audio, video, and multimedia. While most of these are related to publications only, a growing number are integrating text with images, data, and executable code. OA can also apply to non-scholarly content, like music, movies, and novels. One of the essential advantages of open access is that it increases the visibility and reuse of academic research results. The most commonly invoked definition of open access comes from the Budapest Declaration (2002)

Not all access is OPEN-ACCESS is equal. Many journals have adopted policies that embrace some or all of the OA core components. But not all OA is the same. Open Access doesn't mean:

• Open to some readers
• Open after an embargo period
• Open for a limited time

Created by SPARC in conjunction with PLOS and the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), the HowOpenIsIt? Open Access Guide standardizes OA terminology in an easily understandable, comprehensive resource. This guide provides a means to identify the core components of OA and how they are implemented across the spectrum between "One Access" and "Closed Access". 

Although costs for digital publishing can be lower than print publications, open-access publishing is not free. Instead of charging the reader for access through purchase or subscription, alternative business models have arisen that provide the publishers with the financial means for providing access to scholarships. One cost recovery model is the implementation of article processing charges (APCs). The author pays these charges (who may get assistance from research grants, the university, or the library) before publication. The publisher can also offset production costs by selling memberships, add-ons, and enhanced services.

Journals are sometimes fully subsidized by a sponsoring institution, funder, or other organization without charging authors or readers. However, while open-access publishing can potentially reduce costs, other driving forces behind open-access advocacy exist. The benefits to individual scholars, related institutions, scholarly communication, and the general researching public are also primary motivating factors.

A common misconception about open-access publishing is that it is not peer-reviewed. However, many open-access journals adhere to the same strict review process as traditional ones. Peer review is medium-independent and relevant to online and print journals. It can be carried out cost-effectively with new supporting software and technologies.

Models of Publishing

Gold Open Access (Gold OA)

• Publication: Research is published directly in an open access journal. These journals typically charge Article Processing Charges (APCs) to cover publication costs.
• Benefits: Immediate and unrestricted access for readers, potentially wider reach and citations, compliance with funder mandates for open access publication.
• Drawbacks: APCs can be expensive, some journals may have lower prestige compared to traditional subscription journals.

Green Open Access (Green OA)

• Publication: Research is published in a traditional subscription journal, but the author also deposits a copy (usually a post-print) in an open access repository, such as their university's institutional repository. There may be an embargo period before the article becomes publicly available.
• Benefits: Freely available research after the embargo period, wider dissemination compared to subscription journals alone, potentially fulfills funder mandates for open access.
• Drawbacks: Access may be limited during the embargo period, relies on author compliance with deposit policies.

Hybrid Open Access

• Publication: This model combines elements of gold and green OA. Articles are published in a traditional subscription journal, but authors can choose to pay an APC to make their individual article open access immediately.
• Benefits: Offers authors flexibility in terms of open access, allows publication in established journals, potentially increases article visibility.
• Drawbacks: APCs still apply for open access, subscription costs remain for the journal itself, doesn't fully achieve the wider dissemination goals of open access.

For authors interested in self-archiving their work to make it openly available, this list provides some examples of disciplinary and institutional repositories that can be used by UT Health School of Public Health users. NOTE: Your participatory rites are based on your institutional affiliation, whether at the institutional, campus, or membership level. 

• arXiv: Maintained and Operated by Cornell University, is a curated research-sharing platform open to anyone. As a pioneer in digital open access, arXiv.org now hosts more than two million scholarly articles in physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science, and economics.
• Digital Commons: Digital Commons@TMC is an online repository sponsored by The TMC Library. This growing collection shares, publishes and preserves works produced by faculty, scientists and students at TMC institutions to be accessed by users worldwide. DigitalCommons@TMC is also an open-access e-journal publishing platform and can host the content of events, conferences and symposia of TMC institutions.
• Directory of OA Repositories (OpenDOAR): Large directory of open access repositories. You can browse by location, software, subject or type of material held.
• PubMed Central: Free, full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature.
• Social Science Research Network (SSRN): SSRN has topic-related networks where researchers can share working papers. Topic areas include accounting, economics, law, and management.

• Texas Data Repository: Publication repository for data created by UT Austin researchers.