Open Access Basics
What is Open Access?
Open Access is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment. Open Access is the needed modern update for the communication of research that fully utilizes the Internet for what it was originally built to do—accelerate research.- SPARC
Why Open Access?
- Increase Your Readership - Open Access allows for more readers, more citations, more potential collaborators, and ultimately more recognition.
- Regain Control of Your Work- Open Access enables authors to retain their rights as authors and use their publications more freely.
- Provide Equitable Access - Open Access removes all price barriers for readers so anyone can view the full content of the work, regardless of socio-economic status or affiliation.
- Funders may require Open Access publishing. Use this SPARC guide to learn more about U.S. Federal funder requirements.
Publish & Share Your Work Open Access
- Retain your author rights by adding an addendum to any future publishing agreements
- Investigate Journal Policies in SHERPA/Romeo to see whether you can self-archive pre-prints/post-prints of your past published work
- Explore Open Access publishing options supported by the library, such as:
See More Information on the How to Publish Open Access Page
