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Open Access: OA

what is this and how to locate materials

What is Open Access?

Open access
    promotes broader access to
    academic research for all
   - scholars, students, professionals
    and the general public.

While the concept is evolving, in general, it means that works such as peer-reviewed journal articles, graduate theses, data, or other types of scholarly information are made available free of charge, immediately (no publisher delay or embargo), and in a permanently accessible, online format. 

For more information on open access, see these pdf files:

Lasting Impact: Sustainability of Disciplinary Repositories
      PDF- an 18-page OCLC report by Ricky Erway (2012).

Open Access Directory (OAD) wiki
      Links and lists on a variety of topics and issues related to open access.

Open Access Week - events

Publisher and Self-archiving

Regarding copyright:

The following sources provide information about publisher policies with regard to self-archiving of scholarly articles.
These sources are not comprehensive; in some cases it will be necessary to contact the journal publisher directly to ask about the policies that relate to a specific journal title.

  • SHERPA/RoMEO
    Searchable by journal title or publisher name, this site provides information on publisher permissions related to the self-archiving of journal articles.
  • Publisher Policies on NIH-funded Authors
    Publisher policies related to authors funded by the US National Institutes of Health.
  • CAIRSS Open Access Policies Search
    Launched by the CAUL Australian Institutional Repository Support Service, this site searches journal copyright policies across SHERPA/RoMEO, OAKList and AcqWeb.

Open Access to Scientific Literature

What is open access to the scientific literature about? A video special of PhD Comics on the occasion of Open Access Week 2012, featuring phylogeneticist Jonathan Eisen and SPARC's Nick Shockey.