LibGuides: Open Access: What is Open Access?

Brief Videos About Open Access

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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

Find Out More

Open Access Overview by Peter Suber
Focusing on open access to peer-reviewed research articles and their preprints. This is an introduction to open access (OA) for those who are new to the concept.
Open Access (MIT Press) by Peter Suber
Book length treatment of open access published by MIT Press in 2012 and available as open access in 2013.
Open Doors and Open Minds: What faculty authors can do to ensure open access to their work through their institution
A SPARC / Science Commons White Paper
The Right to Research
The recently released Student Statement on the Right to Research calls on students, researchers, universities, and governments to open access to scholarly information.
Create Change
This website will help you understand the changing landscape and how it affects you and your research. It also offers practical ways to look out for your own interests as a researcher.

Common Misconceptions About OA Policies

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

Responses to Common Misconceptions About Campus-Open Access Policies
Open Access Policies
Presentation given at a Hope College Faculty Meeting October 26, 2010 by Chris Barney and Kelly Jacobsma.