Skip to Main Content
Health Sciences Library

Getting Published: Open Access

This guide is intended to inform researchers from all disciplines in the Rowan Community. When you are ready to submit a manuscript for publication or research to a conference, the information, resources, and tools on this guide can help you identify repu

What is Open Access?

Open Access is:

  • A movement that wants to increase information access and innovation, and usually refers to open access publishing, particularly of scholarly communication and research. 
  • A way to address the problem in scholarly communication where information is behind paywalls in subscription journals and databases whose prices keep rising (as library and university budgets stagnate or decrease) and universities and libraries are forced to pay for the creation of the research as well as to buy it back through subscriptions.
  • Is about the democratization of information and knowledge.
  • Is carried out largely through open access journals and subject specific and institutional repositories, where research is posted online for anyone to access. These are indexed by Google and other search engines increasing visibility and impact of the research.

Publishing Models and Open Access

Watch this short video from the University of Central Florida Health Sciences Library to better understand Open Access and academic publishing models.

Open Access (OA) journal publishing models:

  • Gold – A publisher makes the articles fully accessible on the journal website, under a creative commons or similar license. An APC is usually paid by the author (or other funder).
  • Hybrid – a subscription journal where the publisher allows authors to pay to make individual articles open access. Differs from a Gold OA journal because a library (or other subscriber) is still paying for a subscription to the journal, so effectively, the publisher is paid twice for the article, once via subscription, and once via the APC to make the article OA.
  • Diamond/Platinum - journals that publish OA but do not charge APCs. These are funded by institutions, advertising, philanthropy, etc. 
  • Bronze - journals that are free to read online but do not have a license - they are not generally available for reuse.
  • Green – refers to self-archiving generally of the pre or post-print of articles in repositories.

Though green open access generally refers to the post-print of an article, there are three basic version types that can be self archived in repositories:

  • Pre-Prints – The author's copy of article before it’s been reviewed by the publisher, or pre-reviewed
  • Post-Prints – The author's copy of article after it’s been reviewed and corrected, but before the publisher has formatted it for publication, or post-reviewed.
  • Publisher’s Version – The version that is formatted and appears in print or online.

If authors have signed a Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA), publisher's policy will determine which version of an article can be archived in a repository. Most publishers allow some sort of green open access. Authors can check their CTA for this information. SHERPA/RoMEO is a database of publisher copyright policies and self archiving information that authors can use to check which version they may be allowed to archive. Not all journals are in SHERPA/RoMEO and it isn't always current, so authors may also want to check the publisher's website as well.

Need Help?

Need help or assistance with getting published?

Contact your Rowan Library:

Help with Publishing

To help with getting your research published make sure to check out these services and resources from Rowan University Libraries

  • Open Access - The scholarly publishing model is changing.  Learn about Open Access publishing options.  
  • ORCID - A unique, open digital identifier that distinguishes you from every other researchers. ORCIDs are increasingly being required for publicly funded research.   
  • Predatory Publishing - Resources to help you avoid being taken advantage of by publishers with questionable editorial policies and business practices. 
  • Read and Publish Agreements - Submit your work in quality, open access journals at no charge to Rowan faculty, staff, and students.  
  • Researcher Support Services - Rowan University Libraries offer a host of services to researchers at Rowan University through the Researcher Support Services team.