Open Access

Open Access (OA) is a publishing model that provides unrestricted, free online access to peer-reviewed scholarly research. By removing the traditional paywall, OA ensures that anyone—from students to global policymakers—can read, download, and build upon scientific discoveries.

The movement toward Open Access is driven by the principle that publicly funded research should be a public good. There are several versions of OA, primarily 'Gold' (where the version of record is immediately free on the publisher site) and 'Green' (where an author self-archives a version in a repository). Research consistently shows that Open Access papers receive more citations and higher media engagement than subscription-based articles.