Open Access: Health Sciences Resources

There are many types of open access, perhaps because it is such a young movement that it's still developing standards. That said, there are three basic types:

• Green – refers to self-archiving generally of the pre or post-print in repositories
• Gold – refers to articles in fully accessible open access journals
• Hybrid – some times called Paid Open Access, refers to subscription journals with open access to individual articles usually when a fee is paid to the publisher or journal by the author, the author's organization, or the research funder. Some of the fees are quite expensive, up to $5000. Some universities or libraries have a pool of funding available for hybrid journal publications or sometimes funding is written into grant applications for open access in hybrid journals, though these are not common instances. Examples of hybrid open access are: Online Open by Wiley or Sage Open by Sage. 

Though green open access generally refers to the post-print of an article, there are three basic version types that can be self archived in repositories:

• Pre-Prints – The author's copy of article before it’s been reviewed by the publisher, or pre-reviewed
• Post-Prints – The author's copy of article after it’s been reviewed and corrected, but before the publisher has formatted it for publication, or post-reviewed.
• Publisher’s Version – The version that is formatted and appears in print or online.

If authors have signed a Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA), publisher's policy will determine which version of an article can be archived in a repository. Most publishers allow some sort of green open access. Authors can check their CTA for this information. SHERPA/RoMEO is a database of publisher copyright policies and self archiving information that authors can use to check which version they may be allowed to archive. Not all journals are in SHERPA/RoMEO and it isn't always current, so authors may also want to check the publisher's website as well.

(from Georgia State University, University Library)

How Open Is It?

A guide created by PLoS, SPARC and OASPA for understanding the various levels of "openness" that can exist on a continuum in research and publication.

When Is Open Access Not Open Access? is an editorial by Catriona J MacCallum

MacCallum CJ (2007) When Is Open Access Not Open Access? PLoS Biol 5(10): e285. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050285

Browse the SHERPA/RoMEO List of Publishers and filter to the Green, Blue, Yellow, and White categories

• Green - refers to publishers whose policies allow archiving of pre-print and post-print or publisher's version/PDF
• Blue - refers to publishers whose policies allow archiving of post-print or publisher's version/PDF
• Yellow - refers to publishers whose policies allow archiving of pre-print
• White - refers to publishers whose policies do not formally support archiving any version

• Remember that not all low quality journals are open access journals.
• Ask a librarian to investigate and provide details about the journal, such as impact factor.
• Look up the journal in Ulrich's serial directory to find information about the journal's content, publishing frequency, and indexing status.
• View the journal's web page to find out about its editorial board and reviewing process. Read sample articles to assess quality.
• Cross check the journal web page with information about the journal in the ISSN portal.
• Visit the International Academy of Nursing Editors (INANE) website to view a database of vetted nursing journals.

• Check Beall's List (archived) of potential predatory journals, or see if the journal or publisher is listed in the DOAJ or DOAB.

Adapted from: Miller, E., & DeBerg, J. (2017). The Perils of Predatory Publishing: Views and Advice from an Editor and a Health Sciences Librarian. Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses, 18(6), 351–352. https://doi-org.uc.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2017.10.003