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Bethel University Library

Open Access: What is Open Access?

Guide to information on open access, copyright, and scholarly communication.

Brief Videos About Open Access

Click on bottom right section of each video to watch on a larger screen

Open Access Explained from PhD Comics

Open Access 101 from Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition

What is Open Access?

Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. What makes it possible is the internet and the consent of the author or copyright-holder.

OA is entirely compatible with peer review, and all the major OA initiatives for scientific and scholarly literature insist on its importance. Just as authors of journal articles donate their labor, so do most journal editors and referees participating in peer review.

Peter Suber, Open Access Overview

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Common Misconceptions About OA Policies

SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) addresses FAQ from institutions considering adopting an Open Access Policy.