Publishing Open Access

Open Access (OA) refers to the free, immediate, and unrestricted online access to scholarly research. It ensures that anyone, anywhere, can read, download, and use research outputs without financial, legal, or technical barriers, while giving proper credit to the authors.

Open Access is rooted in the principle that research should be accessible to everyone, not just those affiliated with well-funded institutions. It comes in several forms:

1. Gold Open Access: Articles are freely available on the publisher's website, often funded by Article Processing Charges (APCs) paid by authors or their institutions.
2. Green Open Access: Authors self-archive their work in institutional or subject-specific repositories, making it freely available, sometimes after an embargo period. Lycoming College authors should review their license agreement terms before submitting their work the the Lycoming College Institutional Repository.
3. Hybrid Open Access: Subscription journals offer an Open Access option for individual articles, usually involving an APC.
4. Diamond/Platinum Open Access: Journals are free for both readers and authors, typically funded by institutions or organizations.

• Check Snowden Library's Read and Publish (RAP) agreements, which allow Lycoming authors to publish in select hybrid and fully OA journals free of charge.
• Negotiate with your publisher to retain copyright to your work so that you can submit your published work to open access repositories, such as Lycoming College's Institutional Repository.

• Publish your own work in an Open Access Journal. 

  • Directory of Open Access Journals

    The Directory of Open Access Journal's "Seal of Quality" certifies a list of over 1000 journals that have high publishing standards and adhere to publishing best practices. This is a great place to start looking for quality OA journals and you can also find their list of OA journals that do not charge authors APCs.

• See if you can make an already published work Open Access.

  • Share Your Paper

    Type in your DOI and find out the easiest way to share an already published paper.

• Advocate for promotion and tenure committees to include support for OA journal publication in their policies .

• Incorporate Open Access materials into your teaching.

Open Access is surrounded by misconceptions that can discourage participation. Let’s debunk some:

1. "Open Access equals lower-quality research." While some predatory open access (and paywalled) journals do not follow a proper peer review process, reputable OA journals undergo the same rigorous peer-review process as traditional journals. It is important for authors to critically evaluate the quality of the journals to which they submit their work.
2. "Open Access is expensive for authors." While some OA models involve APCs, many journals and platforms (e.g., Diamond OA) do not charge authors. Additionally, institutional participation in Read and Publish Agreements or grant funding often covers these fees.
3. "Open Access is only for STEM disciplines." Open Access is gaining traction across all disciplines, including humanities and social sciences, with diverse platforms and repositories supporting their needs. OA is also increasingly popular with manuscript publishers in various disciplines.
4. "Publishing Open Access limits where I can publish." Many publishers now support OA publishing in hybrid or fully OA journals, giving authors a wide range of options.

5. "Open access publications will not count towards promotion and tenure." If an article is published in an open-access journal with a good reputation and peer review process, there is no good reason why it would not count for promotion or tenure. P&T committees should educate themselves on OA to support the open access movement and encourage faculty to submit to these publications.

Embracing Open Access not only broadens the reach of your research but also contributes to a more equitable and collaborative academic environment.