About Open Access
What is Open Access?
Open Access means making scientific findings, information and data freely accessible as quickly as possible, free of charge. Generally, Open Access refers to the free and online availability of publications.
How can I publish Open Access?
Ideally, a publication should be freely accessible immediately. There are three ways to publish Open Access.
Diamond or Platinum Open Access
Diamond or Platinum OA means that a scientific text is first published in an open access journal, as an open access book or as a contribution to an open access collection. Diamond or Platinum OA is free for the author, as the publisher is funded in different ways.
Gold Open Access
Gold Open Access also refers to the publication of a scientific text in an open access journal, as an open access book or as a contribution to an open access collection. In contrast to diamond Open Access, the author usually pays a fee (article-processing charges, APCs).
The University Library can support you financially with Gold Open Access publishing: Funding for Open Access publishing
Self-archiving or Secondary Publication
Self-archiving or secondary publishing is also known as Green Open Access. This means manuscripts are published in conventional subscription-based journals while also made freely accessible through secondary publication in institutional or subject-specific repositories.
Careful: Hybrid Open Access ≠ Gold Open Access
Many publishers now also offer the option of publishing a single article Open Access in an otherwise closed (subscription-based) journal if authors pay the publication fees (APCs). These journals are also known as hybrid journals.
Be aware: Some publishers who publish hybrid journals use the term "Gold Open Access Option" on the journal's website. This is problematic for authors who want to fund article processing charges through a publication fund, as the hybrid route is not supported by many funds (including the Swiss National Science Foundation).
How do I find a suitable Open Access journal?
It is important to ensure that the open access journals practice some form of quality control such as peer review. Platforms that support researchers in choosing trustworthy open access journals are helpful. This also prevents publishing in predatory journals.
Where to publish Open Access? (University Library)
How Can I Fulfill Funder Requirements without Paying a Hybrid Journal?
If you cannot pay the publication fee for hybrid Open Access you can always publish your manuscript closed access in that journal and then self-archive the manuscript on a repository such as ZORA.
How do I finance an Open Access publication?
There are various helpful platforms that support researchers in choosing funding options.
Funding for Open Access publishing (University Library)Where can I find more information about Open Access?
The Open Science Services team will be happy to advise you on questions about scientific publishing:
What Are the Benefits of Open Access?
- better visibility of results
- higher citation rate
- easier international knowledge transfer
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more innovation through increased visibility of research results from distant disciplines
- more transparency & efficiency in research
- the public has access to the research it funds
What can I do to support Open Access?
- Whenever possible, publish in platinum and gold Open Access Journals, and talk about it.
Where to Publish Open Access - Publish your preprints in an OA archive, such as arXiv.
- Always publish your scientific contributions in the Zürich Open Repository and Archive, ZORA (Self-archiving).
- You can also publish your research data in an open data archive. Link your published articles to your research data and vice versa.
- Accept requests from OA journals to work as a reviewer for scientific articles or to participate in the editorial team.
- If you work for a journal that is not Open Access, initiate internal discussions on how the transformation to Open Access can be made.
- As a student: discuss Open Access with your professors.
- As a lecturer: teach your students about Open Access. Get involved in your faculty to ensure that Open Access is known and incorporated as best practice in your research area.