What is Open Access?
Open Access is devoted to making scholarly information available online, free, and unrestricted. In addition to scholarly publications, the Open Access Movement also includes Open Science, Open Data, and Open Education - freeing the research process for even quicker dissemination of knowledge and more rapid discovery.
Open Access affects most of the cycle of Scholarly Communication, to name a few:
- Allows greater access to resources supporting research, through open access publishing or open access repositories.
- Allows for text or data mining, which has implications for some types of research.
- Many funding agencies have policies requiring open access to articles resulting from their funding.
For a more comprehensive look at Open Access, the best place to begin is the book, Open Access, by Peter Suber, published by MIT Press and available in Boatwright Library (Call Number Z286.O63 S83 2012).
Why is Open Access Important?
Open Access Directories
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Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)DOAJ is an authoritative directory of academic open access repositories.
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Directory of Open Access BooksThe primary focus of DOAB is to increase discoverability of Open Access books.
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Directory of Open Access RepositoriesOpenDOAR is an authoritative directory of academic open access repositories
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OATD – Open Access Theses and DissertationsOATD aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world.
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Digital Commons NetworkIncludes scholarship from hundreds of university and college research repositories.
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Research Data RepositoriesProvides a registry of current repositories for the permanent storage and access of data sets to researchers, funding bodies, publishers and scholarly institutions.
Open Access - Recommended Websites
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OASISOASIS provides an authoritative ‘sourcebook’ on Open Access, covering the concept, principles, advantages, approaches and means to achieving it.
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Open Library of HumanitiesThis site aims to give the background to, and rationale for, our vision of building a low cost, sustainable, Open Access future for the humanities.
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Good practices for university open-access policiesPolicy suggestions from the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society at Harvard University.
Open Data
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Open Data CommonsA set of legal ‘tools’ to help you provide and use open data.
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Implementing an Open Data Policy: A Primer for Research FundersDeveloped by SPARC
Social Sciences Librarian
Samantha Guss
she/her
Contact:
Office: 182 Boatwright Library,
Research & Collaborative Area
Email: sguss@richmond.edu
Phone: 804-289-8851
Research & Collaborative Area
Email: sguss@richmond.edu
Phone: 804-289-8851
