As open access (OA) publishing continues to see rapid growth, authors have to choose the OA model in which they wish to publish their work. There are several types of OA journals, but the most common are gold OA, green OA, and hybrid OA journals. Here is a brief synopsis.
Gold open access journals
In gold OA journals, all articles are immediately available for free on the journal’s website. In these journals, articles are typically licensed for sharing and reuse via Creative Commons licenses.
Green open access journals
A green journal allows its authors to republish (or self-archive) their articles in open access repositories. The copyright for these articles typically sits with the journal publisher, and there are restrictions as to how the work can be reused. Also, some green OA journals have restrictions regarding which version of the article—i.e. pre-print or post-print—can be self-archived.
Hybrid open access journals
Hybrid OA journals publish a mixture of open access and closed access articles. They typically only provide open access for articles for which the authors (or research sponsor) pay a publication fee.
In addition to these three main types of OA journals, there are less-common ones, such as platinum/diamond OA, bronze OA, and more. As an author, it is important to understand the conditions under which your work is published, and the restrictions (if any) on its reuse and sharing.
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions About Open Access
Lippincott’s Author Resource Center
Lippincott’s Gold Open Access Journals
Steps in the Open Access Process
Resources for authors
Author Webinars
Editorial Services for Authors
Frequently Asked Questions About Open Access
Lippincott Author Talk archives
Lippincott’s Open Access page
Lippincott’s Gold Open Access Journals (listed by specialty)
