Open Access Pathways
There are four main pathways to open access: Green Open Access, Diamond Open Access, Gold Open Access and Hybrid Open Access. Regardless of the pathway chosen, open access provides greater visibility, impact, and reach for research articles, as they are freely available to anyone with an internet connection, enabling them to be read, cited, and built upon by a wider audience.
Green Open Access
Green Open Access involves depositing a version of a research article, typically the submitted manuscript or the accepted manuscript, in an institutional repository or a disciplinary repository, where it is freely available for anyone to read. Green Open Access is an affordable and equitable way to meet federal funder public access requirements. Learn more about making your research via Green OA.
Diamond Open Access
Diamond Open Access (sometimes called Platinum) refers to a model of open access publishing where the journal is entirely free to access, and there are no Article Processing Charges (APCs) or other fees required for authors or their institutions. Instead, the costs of publishing and maintaining the journal are covered through alternative funding sources such as philanthropic donations, institutional support, or grants.
Gold Open Access
Gold Open Access involves publishing research articles in open access journals, where they are immediately and permanently available to the public. This type of open access is typically funded through APCs, which are fees paid by authors or their institutions to cover the costs of publishing the articles.
Hybrid Open Access
Hybrid Open Access journals offer a combination of both subscription and open access articles. With this option, authors can choose to make their articles open access by paying an APC, while other articles in the same journal are available only to subscribers.
