Open access publishing removes financial, legal, and technical barriers to accessing scholarly research, making it freely available to anyone with an internet connection. This practice ensures that knowledge reaches the broadest possible audience while supporting transparency, collaboration, and equity in scholarly communication.

As KPU’s primary area of current support for open scholarship, understanding open access publishing empowers you to make informed decisions about where and how to share your research, whether you’re conducting original investigations, engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning, or contributing to disciplinary conversations in your field.

Why this matters for you

Open access publishing can significantly increase the visibility and impact of your research while ensuring compliance with funder mandates. It also provides opportunities to engage with more transparent and collaborative scholarly practices that align with open education values.

Why this matters for your students

When you model open access publishing practices, you demonstrate values of transparency, knowledge sharing, and public engagement that students can carry forward into their own professional lives. Your choices about scholarly communication send powerful messages about who knowledge is for and how it should be shared.

Why Open Access Matters

Before exploring specific models, it’s helpful to understand why these distinctions matter for your publishing decisions. Traditional academic publishing primarily operated through one model: subscription-based journals where institutions pay for access. Open access has introduced multiple alternative approaches, each addressing different aspects of the access problem while creating new considerations.

For teaching-focused faculty, understanding these models helps you make informed decisions about where to publish scholarship of teaching and learning work, ensuring it reaches the educators who can benefit from your insights. It also helps you model transparent scholarly practices for students and make strategic choices about how to share your professional work.

For research-active faculty, these distinctions affect compliance with funder mandates, research impact and visibility, collaboration opportunities, and career advancement strategies. Different models may be more appropriate at different career stages or for different types of research outputs.

For all faculty, understanding open access models helps you navigate conversations with publishers, make informed decisions about copyright and licensing, access institutional support effectively, and contribute to a more equitable scholarly communication system.

The models below are presented roughly in order from most accessible (diamond/platinum, which removes barriers for both authors and readers) to least immediately accessible (delayed open access). However, “most accessible” doesn’t always mean “most appropriate” for every situation—the best choice depends on your specific context, resources, and goals.

Understanding Open Access Models

Understanding the different open access models helps you make strategic decisions about where and how to publish your research. Each model offers different benefits and involves different considerations—from immediate accessibility to financial costs to institutional support requirements.

As you explore these models, consider three key questions:

• Accessibility: When and how will readers be able to access your work?
• Sustainability: What are the costs, and who bears them?
• Rights: What control will you retain over how your work is used and shared?

These questions will help you evaluate which model best serves your research goals and your commitment to open scholarship. Remember that you don’t need to choose just one approach—many faculty use different models for different publications depending on the specific context and goals of each project.

Diamond/Platinum Open Access

Diamond (or Platinum) open access journals are free for both readers and authors, with no article processing charges. These journals are typically supported by academic institutions, scholarly societies, government funding, or consortia. This model represents the most accessible form of open access publishing, removing both reader and author barriers to participation.

When Diamond/Platinum Works Well: This model is ideal when you’ve identified a high-quality journal in your field that operates on this model, when you lack funding for article processing charges, or when you’re committed to supporting non-commercial scholarly publishing. Many society journals and field-specific publications operate on this model.

Gold Open Access

Gold open access journals make all content freely available immediately upon publication. Authors or their institutions typically pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) to cover publishing costs. These fees vary widely by journal and discipline, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

When Gold Open Access Works Well: This model provides immediate open access and often high visibility. It’s particularly appropriate when you have access to funding for publication costs (through grants, institutional support, or research budgets) and when immediate accessibility is important for your research impact.

Green Open Access (Self-Archiving)

Green open access involves depositing a version of your manuscript in an institutional or subject repository, making it freely available, while the journal version may remain behind a paywall.

Preprints: Early versions of manuscripts shared before peer review, allowing for community feedback and establishing priority for research findings.

Postprints: Final author versions of accepted manuscripts, typically shared after peer review but before final publisher formatting.

Publisher Versions: Some publishers allow authors to deposit the final published version in repositories, though this varies by journal policy.

When Green Open Access Works Well: This model is often the most practical approach when you want to publish in a specific traditional journal while still providing open access to your work. It’s particularly valuable when institutional repository deposit satisfies funder requirements or when you lack funding for article processing charges but want to maximise access to your research.

Hybrid Open Access

Traditional subscription journals that offer an open access option for individual articles, usually for a fee. While this provides immediate open access, it can be expensive and may not represent the publisher’s full commitment to open scholarship principles.

When to Approach Hybrid with Caution: Many open access advocates express concern about hybrid models because institutions pay subscription fees for journal access while authors also pay for individual article openness. This “double-dipping” means that some publishers receive payment twice for the same content. While hybrid can provide immediate open access, carefully consider whether other models might better serve your goals and values.

Delayed Open Access

Some journals make content freely available after an embargo period (typically 6-24 months). While not immediately open, this model provides eventual free access to research.

Support for Open Access at KPU

Understanding your options is valuable, but knowing what support exists to help you implement those choices makes open access publishing more feasible and sustainable. KPU Library provides several forms of concrete assistance for faculty interested in making their research openly accessible.

Publishing Support and Funding

Funding Assistance: KPU provides funding support through the Knowledge Mobilization Grant for article processing charges in legitimate open access journals, subject to available budget and application processes. This financial support can make gold open access publishing feasible when it might otherwise be cost-prohibitive.

Rights Retention Guidance: Librarians provide guidance on understanding publisher agreements and retaining rights necessary for open access sharing. This support helps you navigate publisher contracts and negotiate terms that preserve your ability to share your work openly.

Journal Assessment: Librarians can help you evaluate the quality and legitimacy of open access journals using established criteria to avoid predatory publishers. This evaluation support ensures you publish in reputable venues that maintain rigorous peer review standards.

Repository Services and Guidance

Institutional Repository: KPU maintains an institutional repository (KORA) where faculty can deposit their research outputs for open access, and librarians can help identify appropriate repositories for your discipline and guide you through the deposit process.

The KPU repository accepts:

• Final author versions of published articles (postprints)
• Conference presentations and proceedings
• Research reports and white papers
• Creative works and multimedia outputs

Repository Guidance: Librarians can help identify appropriate repositories for your discipline and guide you through the deposit process. This includes understanding embargo periods, choosing appropriate licenses, and ensuring proper metadata for discoverability.

Compliance Support: Assistance with meeting funder requirements for open access publication and repository deposit, ensuring your work satisfies any mandates while maximising its accessibility and impact.

Evaluating and Choosing Open Access Options

With an understanding of different models and available support, you’re ready to make informed decisions about where and how to publish your work. This section provides practical guidance for evaluating journals, finding appropriate venues, understanding costs, and meeting requirements.

Assessing Journal Quality

Focus on editorial standards, peer review processes, indexing, and scholarly reputation rather than the publishing model alone. Many high-quality journals across all disciplines offer open access options. Transparency of the peer review process predicts quality, and many reputable open access journals maintain strict editorial standards comparable to traditional journals (Tennant et al., 2016).

Quality indicators to consider:

• Editorial board expertise and reputation: Look for recognised scholars in the field who lend credibility to the journal’s editorial oversight
• Rigorous peer review processes: Journals should clearly describe their review procedures and maintain transparent editorial standards
• Proper indexing in relevant databases: Quality journals are indexed in discipline-specific databases and scholarly search engines
• Clear ethical guidelines and policies: Legitimate journals provide explicit policies on authorship, conflicts of interest, and research ethics
• Reasonable acceptance rates and publication standards: Be cautious of journals that accept most submissions without substantive review

Resources for Evaluation

• Think, Check, Submit: International initiative providing guidance for evaluating journal quality and avoiding predatory publishers, applicable to both traditional and open access venues
• Journal Impact and Metrics: Consider multiple indicators of journal quality and impact rather than relying solely on traditional metrics like impact factor
• KPU Library Consultation: Subject librarians can provide discipline-specific guidance about reputable open access options and emerging opportunities

Finding Opportunities

Identifying appropriate open access publishing venues requires understanding the landscape in your specific field. Different disciplines have varying levels of open access infrastructure and different cultural attitudes toward open publishing.

You can find discipline-specific resources through:

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): Comprehensive, quality-controlled directory of open access journals across all disciplines with detailed information about editorial policies and licensing. This is often the best starting point for finding legitimate open access journals in your field.

Professional Associations: Many scholarly societies publish open access journals or provide guidance about open access options in the field. These society journals often maintain high standards while supporting the non-commercial model.

Colleague Recommendations: Connect with colleagues who have experience with open access publishing in your field to learn from their experiences and get recommendations for reputable venues.

Subject Librarians: KPU librarians with subject expertise can help identify emerging open access journals and established venues that align with your research focus and quality standards.

Understanding Costs and Funding

Article Processing Charges (APCs): Gold open access journals typically charge fees ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Understanding these costs helps you plan for publication expenses and identify appropriate funding sources.

Institutional Support: Consult with KPU Library about available funding for article processing charges through the Knowledge Mobilization Grant or other institutional resources. Taking advantage of this support can make gold open access feasible for your work.

Funder Provisions: Canada’s federal research granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC) mandate open access for funded research, requiring peer-reviewed journal publications to be freely accessible within 12 months of publication, with a revised policy requiring immediate open access to be released by the end of 2025 (Government of Canada, 2024). These agencies may provide additional funding specifically for publication costs.

Green Access Alternatives: Repository deposit through KORA or discipline-specific repositories is typically free and may satisfy funder requirements even when gold open access isn’t financially feasible. This provides a practical path to open access when funding is limited.

Meeting Funder Requirements

Understanding Policy Requirements: Ensure your chosen publishing approach meets any requirements from funding agencies or institutional policies. Different funders have different expectations for open access timelines and acceptable models.

Embargo Periods: If using green open access, verify that repository deposit timelines comply with policy requirements. Some funders accept longer embargo periods while others require immediate deposit or immediate open access.

Documentation and Compliance: Work with KPU Library to ensure proper documentation of your open access activities for grant reporting. This includes understanding what evidence of compliance funders require and how to provide it effectively.

Repository Options: Identify appropriate institutional or subject repositories for your discipline and research type. Some funders have preferences for specific repositories or require deposit in multiple locations.

Compliance with Mandates

Funder Policies: Ensure your chosen publishing approach meets any requirements from funding agencies or institutional policies.

Embargo Periods: If using green open access, check that repository deposit timelines comply with policy requirements.

Repository Options: Work with KPU Library to identify appropriate institutional or subject repositories for your discipline and research type.

Finding Open Access Opportunities in Your Discipline

Identifying appropriate open access publishing venues requires understanding the landscape in your specific field:

Discipline-Specific Resources

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): Comprehensive, quality-controlled directory of open access journals across all disciplines with detailed information about editorial policies and licensing.

Professional Associations: Many scholarly societies publish open access journals or provide guidance about open access options in the field.

Evaluation Tools and Resources

Think, Check, Submit: International initiative providing guidance for evaluating journal quality and avoiding predatory publishers, applicable to both traditional and open access venues.

Journal Impact and Metrics: Consider multiple indicators of journal quality and impact rather than relying solely on traditional metrics like impact factor.

KPU Library Consultation: Subject librarians can provide discipline-specific guidance about reputable open access options and emerging opportunities.

Common Concerns and Clarifications

Open access publishing represents a significant shift from traditional academic publishing models, bringing both persistent misconceptions about journal quality and peer review standards, and legitimate anxieties about career implications. Many barriers to open access stem from outdated assumptions or underestimating faculty agency in publisher negotiations. Understanding what’s myth versus reality helps you make informed, strategic decisions about sharing your research:

“I’m concerned that open access journals aren’t as prestigious or respected in my field, and this might hurt my professional reputation.”
Many prestigious journals now offer open access options, and new high-quality open access journals are emerging in all fields. The increased visibility and citation rates often associated with open access can actually benefit your professional standing. Open access publishing is increasingly valued by employers, funding agencies, and academic institutions as evidence of commitment to knowledge sharing and public engagement. Consider the specific goals of each publication, and remember that repository deposit (green open access) can provide open access even for traditional journal publications.

“Open access journals don’t have proper peer review processes.”
Most reputable open access journals follow the same rigorous peer review standards as traditional journals. Many high-impact journals like PLOS One, Nature Communications, and BMJ Open are open access and maintain strict editorial standards. Quality depends on the specific journal’s editorial policies, not its access model.

“I don’t think I have any power to negotiate with publishers or retain rights to my work.”
Faculty have more negotiating power than many realise, and publishers are often accustomed to author requests for rights retention. You can use author addenda to modify publisher agreements, negotiate specific rights you need (like classroom use or repository deposit), or ask publishers about their open access policies before submitting. Additionally, choosing journals with author-friendly policies from the start gives you more control. KPU librarians can help you understand your options and develop negotiation strategies.

Reflective Activity

Moving Forward

Open access publishing represents a practical way to align your scholarly work with the values of accessibility, transparency, and equity that drive open education. Within KPU’s current support framework, you have opportunities to make your research more widely available while contributing to a more equitable system of knowledge sharing.

As you develop your scholarly practice, open access publishing provides opportunities to model transparency and collaboration for your students while contributing to broader conversations in your field. The understanding you develop about open access will serve you well as KPU expands support for additional aspects of open scholarship.

Ready to explore open access in your field? Connect with KPU Library to learn about specific resources and support available for your scholarly publishing goals.

References

Government of Canada. (2024). Open access. Science.gc.ca. https://science.gc.ca/site/science/en/interagency-research-funding/policies-and-guidelines/open-access

Tennant, J. P., Dugan, J. M., Graziotin, D., Jacques, D. C., Waldner, F., Mietchen, D., Elkhatib, Y., B. Collister, L., Pikas, C. K., Crick, T., Masuzzo, P., Caravaggi, A., Berg, D. R., Niemeyer, K. E., Ross-Hellauer, T., Mannheimer, S., Rigling, L., Katz, D. S., Greshake Tzovaras, B., . . . Colomb, J. (2017). A multi-disciplinary perspective on emergent and future innovations in peer review [version 3; peer review: 2 approved]. F1000 Research, 6, 1151. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.12037.3