What does Open Access mean?

“Open access. n. Library science. Direct and unrestricted access for readers to the shelves on which publications are kept; the system of policy of such access. adj. Library science. Of or relating to open access. Open or accessible to everybody.” OED

Where can I find Open Access resources?

Open access journals make articles freely available online, permitting any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text. This allows more people around the world to benefit from academic information. Open access enables a more sustainable and more inclusive scholarly community, accelerates the discovery of knowledge, and sparks new ideas. Open access journals have publishing costs, just like traditional subscription journals. Many open access journals cover the costs of publishing by requiring authors to pay a fee when their article is accepted. Here are a few examples of open access journals: PLOS one, PeerJ, and SAGE Open. 

ScholarWorks@GVSU is another great example of an open access repository maintained by the GVSU Libraries that is accessible to anyone around the globe. GVSU faculty, staff, and students are able to upload their work to ScholarWorks@ GVSU. In fact, there have been over 1.7 million full-text downloads in the past year and over 7.7 million downloads to date! Resources include open textbooks and educational resources to journals and galleries. 

To Learn More

1. Open Access Explained!
2. Open Access Journal Quality Indicators
3. GVSU Open Access Publishing Information
4. ScholarWorsk@GVSU