Open Practices
Welcome to the Open Practices site. Please explore the sections below to learn more about Open Access (OA) collections, OA publishing practices and Open Education/OER.
Open access collections
Open access describes a journal or publication that requires no subscription or institutional login for access. Access is free of charge and articles found within an open access publication are digitally available for everyone to access. There are a variety of publishing models that support open access efforts.
Open access journals and publications have some considerations to be aware of when assessing for quality, just like any publication:
Pros
- No subscription fees
- Greater access to research that can influence policy
- Demonstrate benefit and accountability of grant- or publicly-funded research
- Open access for researchers in developing countries
- Greater online visibility and public readership
Cons
- Need to assess critically for markers of legitimacy, quality, such as peer-review (but wouldn't you do that with any publication?)
- Variable funding models may mean sustainability concerns compared to traditional paid access
Open access searches
Explore some of the open access searches and collections to find the articles, journals and publications you need:
VIU Library has a large open access collection within its holdings. Type your topic into the search bar below to start your search:
The DOAJ has a comprehensive list of open access journals that can be searched by journals or articles. You can find peer-reviewed articles in full text from a variety of disciplines. Type your topic into the search bar below to start your search:
The following sites are a way to search for open access repositories. As open access materials are held in various publications and institutional repositories, these searches can help you find where to start your search:
- oaDOI
"... if there's an open access version of the article, the oaDOI URL will send you there, instead of the paywalled article landing page."
- OpenDOAR: Search open repository contents
"This service, based on the Google Custom Search engine, lets you search the contents of the repositories listed in OpenDOAR for freely available academic research information. This quality assured approach minimises (but does not eliminate!) spurious or junk results, and leads more directly to useful and relevant information. Full texts are available for most results."
On the Journals at VIU page, you can browse journals in your discipline by completing these steps:
Publishing in an open access journal
In selecting any journal for publication, it is important to look for markers of credibility and good reputation. Open Access in and of itself is not an indicator of quality or lack of quality in a journal or publisher. In particular, consider factors such as:
- Presence of peer review process and how this is done. Fast-tracking publishing without proper checks and edits by experts in the field has led to questions about the quality of disseminated research available online.
- Fees. How and when are fees charged, and for what services? There are a range of Open Access funding models. Some rely on author fees or APC's (article processing charges) to replace subscription revenue, but most do not.
If you are considering a journal that charges APCs, inquire with the Library or SRCA to see if there may be either a discount incidental to other licenses that the University has with the publisher, or a lower cost, good quality alternative that meets your needs.
For more information see the Library's guide The Right Place to Publish: Considerations in Choosing a Journal or Publisher.