Ways of Open Access
Ways of Open Access
In the field of open access, colours are used to indicate different variants of the publication process. In the meantime, a whole colour palette has emerged that describes the different conditions for authors and readers.
The three most common ways are explained here:
First open access publication
First publication in an open access journal is known as the golden road to open access to scientific knowledge. Open Access journals fulfil the criteria of Open Access and are quality-checked by peer review. Access is open worldwide and free of charge. Articles may be freely downloaded, used, copied, printed or distributed, provided the authorship is acknowledged. The costs of publication in these journals are usually borne by the authors or their institutions: publishers of open access journals charge publication fees (APCs) instead of subscription fees, usually in the form of a processing fee per accepted article.
Free Open Access first publication
The Diamond Road or "Platinum Open Access" is a form of the Golden Road, in which no publication fees (APCs) are charged to authors for the first publication in an Open Access journal. Likewise, no costs are transferred to the readers.