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About Open Access Publishing
Open Access (OA) publishing is relatively new, having just emerged within the last few decades. OA is different from traditional scholarly publishing models as the content is free for readers to access. There are many benefits to Open Access publishing by providing immediate and free access to academic scholarship. For example, free unrestricted access means all can benefit from the research, compared to just those who work at an institution that pays for access or who can afford it themselves. In addition, the increase in visibility can increase the citations and impact of the work.
Benefits of Open Access
Even though OA articles may be freely available to read, there may be costs to the authors to make their work open depending on the journal’s model. There are three main types of OA publishing: Gold OA, Green OA and Diamond (or Platinum) OA.
Most Common Open Access Models
| Gold Open Access | Green Open Access | Diamond Open Access |
| Authors or institutions pay a fee to make their article fully OA | Publisher don't make the article OA, but authors can post a version of the manuscript to an open repository | Articles are immediately OA and authors do not pay a fee |
Predatory Journals
Predatory journals take advantage of the open-access publishing model by charging publication fees without providing standard peer-review or editing services. Because predatory publishers do not follow best practices for academic publishing, they solicit and easily accept manuscripts, and offer rapid peer-review and publication.
In contrast, high-quality academic journals take their time reviewing and publishing articles because manuscripts are rigorously reviewed and edited in preparation for publication.
Predatory journal definition from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Medical Library
We recommend using the following websites to help you make an informed decision: