Open Access
What is Open Access?
Open Access stands for a way of publishing, where the researcher gives free online access to his/hers publications. Since 2006, Lund University has a publishing policy in which the board of Lund University recommends researchers to, if possible, give free access to their research publications.
- Quizz about Open Access (New window) Test your knowledge and learn more!
Why make your research available through Open Access?
- Open Access renders your research more useful
- Open Access speeds up the publishing process
- Open Access gives you control over your publications
Self archiving
Even in cases where a work is published through a publisher, it is possible, if the contract allows it, to parallel publish the article (self-archiving). Parallel publishing can normally be done as soon as your publication has been accepted – sometimes even earlier. It has been shown that early publishing gives more citations.
The basic idea with Open Access is that there should be free online access to quality controlled scientific publications. That way it is possible even for departments lacking resources, especially in the third world, to take part of high quality research results, and thus stimulate their own research. Since it is less expensive to publish according to the Open Access model than to traditional publishing methods, funds that today are used for subscriptions to scientific journals could instead benefit research.
How do I give free access to my results?
If there is a high quality journal that is freely accessible within your field of research, then this is the easiest way to make publications freely accessible. Most scientific journals allow parallel publishing. This way the publication is made freely accessible and searchable through common search engines. Lund University’s policy for scientific publishing recommends researchers to publish their work in an Open Access journal or, if that is not possible, to keep the right to self-archive the article.
- DOAJ (New window) Register of Open Access journals
- Sherpa/RoMEO (New window) The publishers’ policy for parallel publishing
Last updated: December 18, 2009
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