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Where to Publish Your Research

What is Open Access?

Open Access (OA) is the practice of providing the public with unrestricted online access to scholarly journal articles.  

Pros and Cons of Open Access

OA publishing is a highly debated practice. Listed are some pros and cons to consider when publishing your article:

Pros

  • Free access=wider audience, meaning more people may read your work. You will also have free access to the work of others.
  • Author often retains copyright, which is not usually the case in traditional publishing.
  • OA is a global initiative, meaning that you will have exposure  to culturally diverse opinions and practices.

 Cons

  • Some OA journals charge an author fee to publish. Fees vary greatly.
  • Predatory journals charge authors large fees without providing proper editorial services. See the Recognizing Predatory Practices box on the this guide's homepage.
  • Concerns about quality control and authenticity of documents.

This is just a brief list of the pros and cons of OA publishing, adapted from Open Access Journals: The Pros and Cons. For more information, try one of these articles:

Author Fees

Please be aware that some open access journals do charge authors a fee to publish. This fee can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the publisher. At this time, Gumberg Library does not provide financial support for author fees.

Listed below are additional resources regarding author fees:

Finding Open Access Journals

If OA is right for you, listed are two resources that allow users to search for OA journals.