Last updated: May 2026 · 6 min read · Audience: Authors, students, early-career researchers · Reading level: Introductory
Key points
- Open access (OA) research is free to read, download, and reuse by anyone worldwide.
- Gold open access: the final published article is immediately freely available on the journal website.
- Green open access: the author deposits a version in an institutional or subject repository.
- Most open access journals are funded through article processing charges (APCs).
- CC BY 4.0 is the most permissive open access licence.
Why open access matters
Traditional subscription journals charge universities large annual fees to access research. Open access removes that barrier. A physician in Lagos, a student in Jakarta, and a policy-maker in Ottawa all reach the same published article at the same time, free of charge.
For authors, open access also means higher visibility. Studies consistently show that openly available articles receive more citations than equivalent paywalled work.
The main open access models
| Model | Who pays? | When is it free? |
|---|---|---|
| Gold OA | Author (APC) or funder | Immediately on publication |
| Green OA | Nobody (self-archiving) | On embargo expiry (often 6–12 months) |
| Diamond OA | Institution or funder | Immediately; no APC for author |
| Hybrid OA | Author (OA fee) for individual articles | On payment |
What is an article processing charge (APC)?
An APC is the fee paid to a gold open access journal to cover peer review coordination, editorial management, production, and long-term hosting. APCs vary widely — from zero (diamond OA) to several thousand dollars at high-profile journals. Many journals offer APC waivers for authors from low-income countries.
Understanding Creative Commons licences
CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution) allows anyone to read, download, copy, translate, and build upon the work for any purpose — including commercially — as long as they credit the original authors.
Open access and DOAJ
The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is the quality whitelist for legitimate open access journals. Checking DOAJ membership is one of the fastest ways to verify a journal is legitimate.
Frequently asked questions
Related reading and next steps
Editorial enquiries
Questions about this guide or about preparing a manuscript for submission may be directed to the editorial office. Where a query relates to a specific journal in the portfolio, please indicate the journal abbreviation in your message.
Email: editor@ep-journals.org