Open Access (OA) means free online access to scientific publications without financial, technical, or legal barriers. The goal is to make science accessible to everyone – researchers, students, and the wider public.
Many funding agencies and research institutions require publications to be available in OA. There are several ways to meet these requirements:
- Gold OA
The author (or their institution) pays a fee to the publisher (APC), and the article is made immediately available on the journal’s website. - Green OA
The author deposits the article in a repository (e.g., preprint or postprint), where it is freely accessible to the public – according to the publisher’s rules. - Diamond OA
Publications are free for both authors and readers. Costs are covered by the publisher, usually from public or institutional sources.