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On this page, we’ll walk you through the basics of open access and will help you understand its different varieties and associated issues. Once you feel you understand it sufficiently and are ready to embark on your open access publication, you can check out our OA resources for authors.
Open access, commonly abbreviated to “OA” is usually taken to describe permanent, free, and public access to research. Open access is an increasingly popular way to publish academic and scientific research. By 2023, for example, more than 23 million articles were tagged as "open access" in Scopus.
Perspectives differ as to how open access ought to be defined. But the ability of readers to freely access and reuse published papers (with attribution), and the importance of long-term, public archiving of research outputs are key points shared by the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishingopens in new tab/window and the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanitiesopens in new tab/window.
Publishing in an open access journal does not imply an inferior quality output. Open access journals and subscription journals can and do operate in the same fashion with regards to the peer review process. That is, articles should still be subject to rigorous peer review and the publication process is otherwise identical.
Consequently, open access journals can and do operate in the same way as traditional subscription journals when it comes to peer review and long-term sustainability. Articles should still be subject to rigorous and fair peer review, and journals still work to ensure research outputs are properly indexed and maintained for generations to come.
As a global leader in open access, Elsevier offers a wide range of options to fit the diverse needs of researchers, institutions, academic societies and funders around the world.
In this short video, we’ll walk you through the basics of open access and will help you understand its different varieties and associated issues.
These include:
Gold open access
Green open access
Bronze open access
Diamond open access
Let’s look at each of these in turn…
If you are publishing under the gold model, the final version of your article in question is made freely and immediately available to anyone upon publication. To recoup the cost of publishing the article and to ensure its long-term accessibility, you will be asked to pay an article publishing charge (APC) at the point of acceptance. APCs are calculated on a range of criteria which can include:
Journal quality (as measured by, for example, Field Weighted Citation Impact)
The journal’s editorial and technical processes
Competitive considerations
Market conditions
Other revenue streams associated with the journal
You might publish your gold OA publication in a gold open access journal, i.e. a journal publishing only open access content. Otherwise, many journals offer authors the choice between subscription-funded or gold (APC-funded) publication; this arrangement is known as a “hybrid journal”. NB publishing an article under the gold OA model doesn’t imply any particular license (please see below on the difference license types).
Green OA means making a version of the subscription article (usually the accepted manuscript) freely available, usually after a set time – an “embargo period”. The article will commonly be made available in an institutional repository or archive. As green OA relies on the subscription model and is not a separate business model in its own right, an embargo period is needed to allow the subscription model to operate before free versions of articles are made publicly available.
At Elsevier, in setting the embargo period, we strive for a balance between enabling sharing at the earliest opportunity and ensuring that the journals themselves are able to operate sustainably. There are many ways in which authors can share versions of their subscription article at different stages in the publication process.
Bronze OA takes place when an article is made freely available without a Creative Commons end user license. Either an alternative license is applied, or no license at all. Examples of the Bronze OA model are Elsevier's Open Archive or articles made available for promotional access reasons.
Diamond OA refers to open access journals or platforms that are both free to read and free to publish in. Funding models for Diamond OA can include financial subsidies and support from publishers (such as learned societies), government agencies and institutions.
An open access journal can mean either:
A fully “gold” journal that publishes nothing but open access content. There is no subscription fee, instead publication costs are recouped by means of an article publishing charge (APC) paid by authors, funding bodies or institutions.
A “hybrid” journal which offers authors the choice between subscription-funded or gold (APC-funded) publication.
A journal will usually make it clear whether it publishes open access articles or not. This will usually be on the journal homepage or on the guide for authors.
When you publish in a gold open access journal, the license you choose defines how readers can reuse your article. For example, the license will dictate whether a re-user can adapt your work and (re)use it in the future, and whether they can do this for commercial gain or not. Typically, you will be offered a range of (commercial and non-commercial) “Creative Commons” licenses. The choice of license will be dictated by:
The journal in question
The requirements (if any) of any funding body supporting your work
Your own needs in respect of the article
Once selected, Creative Commons user licenses are typically non-revocable so it’s important that you make the right choice. The Creative Commons websiteopens in new tab/window has more details about what to consider before choosing a user license. You can also view a full list of user licenses used by Elsevier. Read more about the difference license types below.
When you publish in a gold open access journal, the license you choose defines how readers can reuse your article. Perhaps the most common licenses you will see are:
Creative Commons Attribution (“CC BY”) This license enables re-users to copy, distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for commercial and non-commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.
Creative Commons Non-Commercial No-Derivative (“CC BY NC ND”) This license enables re-users to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, provided it is for non-commercial purposes, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
Creative Commons Non-Commercial (“CC BY NC”) This license enables re-users to copy, distribute and adapt the material in any medium or format, provided it is for non-commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.
You can see a full list of user licenses used by Elsevier on this page.
There are many ways in which authors can share versions of their subscription article at different stages in the publication process. One of the most useful resources in this regard is: www.howcanishareit.comopens in new tab/window
Open science describes a way of working that is more inclusive, collaborative and transparent. Elsevier partners with the research community to empower open science. At Elsevier, open science means working, and helping our authors to work, in such a way that makes research more inclusive, collaborative, and transparent, and that helps promote equity and reproducibility. Among other things, open science includes:
Open data, reproducibility and research integrity That is, making available underlying research data and ultimately conducting research in ways that are discoverable, citable, and transparent, so that other researchers can reuse that work, and in turn help make research more reproducible. These practices underpin research integrity and ultimately trust in research.
Open indicators and research evaluation This refers to encouraging transparent and meaningful indicators that inform decision-making in research, such as decisions to promote researchers, and to evaluate the impact of funding programs.
Science and society This concerns enabling all researchers across the globe to read and participate in research, and fostering a greater connection between science, medicine, and technology with - specialized and broad audiences alike – in order to solve society’s greatest challenges.
Though you can pay for the costs of the article publishing charge yourself, it’s more common for this to be covered by your funding body or institution. If you are not able to pay for publication you should see if you can get help to publish from the journal or publisher in question. For example, at Elsevier we have a range of options and support mechanisms to help authors wanting to publish OA. These range from reductions in APCs to waivers.
Open data means conducting research in such a way that the data involved are discoverable, citable, and transparent. The point of doing so is that other researchers can then reuse that work, and in turn help make research more reproducible. These practices underpin research integrity and ultimately promote trust in research.
We have listed below a number of resources to help you learn more about OA and the associated concepts.
