Open Access (OA) is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the right to use these articles fully in a digital environment, as defined by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).
There are two ways to make your research open access:
1. publishing in an open access journal (gold or hybrid journals).
or
2. depositing a previously published article in an open access repository.
Open access is beneficial because it democratizes access to knowledge by making scholarly outputs (journal articles, data, books) freely available to the public. This approach fosters innovation, accelerates scientific progress, and promotes inclusivity, allowing individuals worldwide to benefit from and contribute to a wealth of information. It also enhances collaboration among researchers, ultimately advancing our collective understanding and addressing global challenges more effectively.
