Open Access Basics
Open access (OA) refers to the ability to freely access a scholarly article from anywhere in the world, without the need for a journal subscription or payment by the reader. OA materials are hosted in various places including: institutional, disciplinary and government repositories; pre-print archives; non-profit and for-profit journals that are either entirely OA or hybrid (some articles OA, others behind a paywall). Open access is not an indication of information quality; OA is fully compatible with peer-review, high quality editing and publishing.
Open Access variations See "Open Access colours: green, gold, diamond, hybrid and more" for brief explanations of each.
Mandates exist from some governmental and other entities that require results of research they fund to be published open access.
- Open Access Explained! 8:23 min videoFrom Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD Comics), explains why open access publishing is important to increase equity of access to research.
- Paywall: The Business of Scholarship. 1:04:48 filmDocumentary produced and directed by Jason Schmitt, Clarkson University, 2018. Discusses the economics of publishing and advocates for open access.
OA Funding & Fee Waivers for Dickinson Authors
Open Access (OA) Fee Waivers or No Fee ("Read & Publish" Agreements, S2O, memberships funded by Waidner-Spahr Library)
The library subscriptions to these journal publisher packages include waivers of open access publication fees for most types of articles. A Dickinson faculty/staff member must be the corresponding/submitting author (please use your Dickinson email address when submitting your article), and the article must be accepted through the journal's established peer-review and editorial process. You should be prompted during the online submission process to confirm that you wish to publish OA and claim your fee waiver, or in some cases this will be offered to you in your notification of acceptance.
The "S2O" journals are those which charge no open access fees or fees to readers, and instead are funded by collective library subscription or support fees, including those paid by the Waidner-Spahr Library.
We will add to this list if more such agreements become available.
Questions? Contact Theresa Arndt, Assoc. Dean for Collections and Discovery (arndtt@dickinson.edu).
- American Chemical Society journals (for manuscripts accepted 1/1/2023 through 12/31/2025)
- American Indian Culture and Research Journal (AICRJ) (S2O)
- American Journal of Physiology (AJP) Titles - for 7 titles in the 'consolidated' package only - Corresponding authors at Dickinson for articles published in 2025 volumes (even if submitted in 2024) will be able to publish open access in all 7 "AJP Consolidated" journals. FAQ.
- American Society for Microbiology - starting in 2025 for the 6 (six) primary research journals only. No OA fees for Dickinson authors, 25% discount on page charges (if author also a personal ASM member, page charge discount is 50%), other publication fees may still apply. More details on publisher website.
- Annual Reviews - those journals currently on the "Subscribe to Open" eligibility list have no OA fees for any authors, funded by multiple libraries' collective ongoing subscription payments.
- Arab Studies Quarterly, Pluto Journals (S2O)
- Cambridge University Press journals (for manuscripts accepted 1/1/2023 through 12/31/2025). Use the CUP waivers and discount tools for details and eligible journals list. (Through Lyrasis library consortia.)
- Company of Biologists - 5 journal package (starting in Spring 2023) See details at: https://www.biologists.com/library-hub/read-publish/
- Demography, Duke University Press (S2O)- The library is a Subscribe to Open (S2O) Community Partner. Corresponding authors who are affiliated with S2O subscribing institutions are guaranteed to be open access in perpetuity.
- Eudora Welty Review (Project MUSE, U of Penn Press) (S2O)
- Institute of Physics (IOP) journals, eligible Journals List A, B and D (for manuscripts accepted 1/1/2023 through 12/31/2025). Dickinson is part of the Lyrasis consortia deal; details and eligible titles are at https://publishingsupport.iopscience.iop.org/questions/researchers-from-the-united-states/
- liquid blackness: journal of aesthetics and black studies liquid blackness (S2O)
- Nouvelles Etudes Francophones (Project MUSE, U of Nebraska Press) (S2O)
- Open Library of Humanities (OLH) (S2O) - Hosts over 30 peer-reviewed, fully open access academic journals. Follow links to specific journals to submit or read articles.
- PLOS (Public Library of Science), all journals - No open access fees for Dickinson corresponding authors during 2025 and 2026. Simply indicate your affiliation and use your Dickinson email address during the submission process. See list of journals at: https://plos.org/your-journal-options/
- Springer and Nature "academic" journals (2024-2027) See details for authors including list of eligible journals at: https://www.springernature.com/gp/open-research/oa-agreements/lyrasis
- Zeitschrift fuer Kunstgeschichte (De Gruyter) (S2O)
- Funding for Open Access Author FeesProvides funding for open access author charges for publication in a reputable, fully-open access journal. Certain restrictions apply. This Library fund is administered in collaboration with the faculty Research & Development Committee. To request funding, faculty members should apply to the R&D Committee.NOTE: It is possible to negotiate the amount of OA publication fees. Ask the publisher if the fee can be reduced.
Maintain Your Author Rights
Organizations supporting open access publishing
Dickinson Scholar Institutional Repository
- Dickinson Scholar This link opens in a new windowDickinson College's open access institutional repository, featuring scholarly and creative works by Dickinson faculty, administrators, staff and students. Email scholar@dickinson.edu with questions or to submit your work.
