Open access (OA) publishing makes research output freely available to access with no subscription or other barriers. Content is generally licensed under some sort of open license such as Creative Commons. OA publishing operates according to a number of different models.
Green OA allows authors to make either a pre-print (submitted) or post-print (peer-reviewed and edited, but not typeset) version available in either an institutional repository, subject repository (i.e. Archiv or SSRN), or personal website. Authors should pay close attention to their publishing contracts to ensure they are following the contract terms for which version of their manuscript they are posting they are allowed to post and where.
Gold OA allows authors to publish the final version of record in the journal itself open access. Gold OA publishing is usually supported through article processing charges (APCs), which are fees the author pays to the publisher to cover the costs of making their article open access.
Hybrid OA journals are journals that contain both open access and traditional subscription based access to articles. They allow authors the choice of publishing in according to traditional subscription models or to pay an APC to make their article OA.
Diamond OA publishing provides open access that requires no fees from readers or authors. Publishing is monetarily supported through a particular business model or outside funders rather than article processing charges paid by authors.
In Bronze OA, publishers make content, often from their backlist, freely available to access. It is usually not part of their contract with the author, does not license the article under an open license, and may only be available for a limited time period.
The library has entered into what are known as transformative agreements with some publishers. In addition to covering the subscription costs the library would pay to provide access for our users to read the content, these agreements also allow qualified users from Loyola and Notre Dame to publish open access without paying any article processing charges.
Contact LNDL's Electronic Resources Librarian, Allison Atkins, for more information on publishing OA using one of the Library's transformative agreements.