Gold Open Access: Publishing Open Access
Hybrid Journal: A type of journal in which some articles are published Open Access and others articles or not. Hybrid journals are typically longstanding journals that provide an Open Access option, and charge subscription fees.
Open Access: scholarly literature that is free to read and often has various re-use rights
Toll Access Journal: A subscription journal that requires payment to access the scholarly content
An article processing charge is a fee that is charged to the author, institution, or funder to cover the cost of an article. This fee is in lieu of paid subscriptions to access articles because Open Access journals do not charge subscription fees to libraries or individuals. Some Open Access journals utilize a different funding model based on article processing charges.
However, the majority of fully Open Access journals do not charge fees. You will most commonly find article processing charges when publishing in a scientific journal or a hybrid journal. If you're a full-time TWU faculty member, you qualify for the TWU Office of Research & Sponsored Programs Publication Fund.
The best place to start looking for an Open Access journal is the Directory of Open Access Journals. The DOAJ is an online directory that lists nearly 9,000 highly quality, peer reviewed Open Access journals.
If you are publishing scientific research, the Public Library of Science (PLoS), BioMed Central, and F1000 are established Open Access publishers. There are additional journals published by smaller publishers, and many of the journals or publishers you have previously published with may have Open Access options available.
Open Access publishing is growing in the humanities and social sciences. If you are publishing humanities research, the Open Library of Humanities is an exciting new Open Access publisher with no author facing publication charges.
Whether you are publishing in an Open Access journal or a toll access journal, always Think. Check. Submit.
Think: Ask yourself, can you trust this journal with your research? Does the journal publish research you would read yourself?
Check: Is the organization or publisher of the journal identifiable? Can you contact them easily?
For journals with publication fees (color charges, Open Access) - are the fees clearly listed on the publisher's website? Reputable publishers should list their fees clearly and publicly.
Do you know the names or reputations of any of the editorial board members?
Are the articles indexed in services you use within your subject area?
Submit: If you can answer yes to these questions, then submit!