Open Access can be provided in two equivalent ways. The author can choose according to their possibilities and needs.
OA magazines so called “golden path “
~ Gold OA or Diamond (Platinum) OA, OA publishing
The golden and diamond way is based on publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals with immediate open access. This means that the publisher who produces the final version of an article for publication makes that version freely available via the internet. Articles published in such journals go through a standard peer review process. Publishers of OA journals usually do not require authors to assign their copyrights to them, or they enter into a licensing agreement with the author(s) to publish the article.
The golden way includes OA journals, where the publisher requires the author to pay an Article Proceeding Charge (APC) to cover the costs of publishing the article.
The diamond way includes journals that offer publishing without any fees. The publishing costs are covered by the publisher (e.g. university, university press, scientific community).
OA repositories so called “green path “
~ or Green OA, autoarchiving, OA self-archiving
The green way is the saving of an article in a pre-print or post-print version to an open digital archive – a repository. The author publishes his/her article in the traditional way in a subscription-based journal. At the same time, the author’s version of the article is submitted to an open repository (so-called auto-archiving).
It does not have to be only an article in a professional journal, but it can be an proceedings paper, a chapter in a book, etc.
It can be articles from subscription-based journals or open access journals.
The author may also publish his/her work on his/her own or his/her institution’s website, or on social media, etc. However, it is always necessary to comply with the licensing conditions set by the publisher.
The possibility of self-archiving is determined by the publisher’s policy. Most reputable publishers allow authors at least some form of self-archiving. The publisher’s position, the terms of self-archiving, and the types of text that the publisher permits to be self-archived can be found in the publisher’s contract with the publisher, in the information for authors, on the publisher’s website, or the publisher’s position on OA can be found in the SHERPA/RoMEO.
By self-archiving, authors make their scientific work freely available and thus increase the potential readership and the possibility of its impact in the scientific community and society.
Other open access methods:
- The Bronze way: publishing in journals without an attached licence.
- Black way: illegally accessed articles (article provided by 3rd party).