There are scam or predatory publishers out there! Before deciding to publish in an open access journal, make sure you have researched the title's credibility.
This guide was created using many resources, many of them are linked throughout the guide. This guide was also built using information from Cornell University Library guide on Open Access Publishing, published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Increasingly, research funders and organizations are implementing mandates that encourage or even require researchers to make their research findings freely and publicly available and discoverable. A "public" or "open" access mandate or policy typically refers to a policy of a research funding agency, foundation, or institution.
In 2013, there was a OSTP Public Access Mandate, which made it so that research funded by many government agencies must be made publicly available, some private funders followed suit.
Publishing in an open access journal does not guarantee satisfying compliance with these policies.
These policies require the deposit of research publications and data in particular open repositories, regardless of where the research has been published.
See SPARC's compilation of Federal Agencies' sharing requirements.
Open access policies, statements, and resolutions from various organizations and institutions.
