Library Guides: Open Access Publishing: Home

What is Open Access (OA)?

Open Access Logo

Open Access is a publishing and distribution model that makes scholarly research literature (articles, book chapters, data, etc.) freely available online, allowing unrestricted access with no reading or subscription fee, sometimes after an agreed period has elapsed since initial publication. It complements and extends the established practices and rigorous selection of publications in peer reviewed journals and elsewhere, operating in parallel with conventional publication channels.

Why Open Access?

Open Access provides several advantages over traditional scholarly publication methods:

Greater impact of scholarship
Greater Exposure
Faster transmission
Discoverable via search engines such as Google & Google Scholar
Long term preservation of work
Higher citation counts for authors
Eliminates inequalities in access to knowledge
Gives the taxpayer access to tax-funded research
Enhance Faculty/Department/Research Institute and AIT’s reputation
Enables and encourages interdisciplinary approaches to research

Video - Open Access Publishing the How and the Why

This video explains what Open Access is, why we should publish Open Access, and how to Publish Open Access. This session details the three main routes to Open Access publishing - Green, Gold, and Diamond.

Access the slides below: