Open access provides a way to promote broader access to research outputs via the immediate and free of charge online access to all content within each issue of a journal. Any user is able to download, copy, distribute, print, search for and link to the full text of content.
Some journals also allow articles to made available via open access after the author pays an article processing charge.
Four main factors need to be considered when making a decision about whether to publish in an open access journal or a subscription based journal (usually paid by the institution)1.:
Search the SHERPA/ROMEO by journal title/ISSN or publisher for details of the copyright and self archiving policies of journals.
1. Conte, S. (2016). Making the choice: Open access vs traditional journals. American Journal Experts. http://www.aje.com/en/arc/making-the-choice-open-access-vs-traditional-journals/
For journal holdings in library collections:
Journal websites often include lists of databases where a journal is claimed to be indexed. For some journals these claims are misleading or entirely untrue. To ensure you are viewing verified details about the indexing of a journal check: