Is open access peer reviewed?

Open access describes how an article can be read, not how it was checked. Reputable open-access journals use the same peer review as subscription journals. Quality depends on the journal, which is why it helps to check listings such as the DOAJ.

Who pays for open access?

In the gold route, an article processing charge is often paid by the author's institution, funder or a library agreement. In the diamond route, a society, university or consortium covers the costs. The green route usually costs the author nothing.

Can I put my published paper in a repository?

Often yes, but which version and when depends on the publisher's policy and your licence. Many publishers allow the accepted manuscript to be deposited, sometimes after an embargo. Check the publisher's self-archiving policy or ask your library.

What does CC BY mean?

CC BY is a Creative Commons licence that lets anyone share and adapt the work, including commercially, as long as the original authors are credited. Many funders require CC BY for open-access articles.

Open access explained: gold, green, diamond and hybrid

Open access (OA) means that a scholarly publication is freely available online to anyone, without a subscription or paywall, and usually comes with a licence that allows reuse. The most common licence is CC BY, which permits sharing and adaptation as long as the authors are credited. Open access is about how a paper can be read; it says nothing in itself about quality or peer review.

For authors, open access raises practical questions: which route to choose, who pays and what your funder or university expects. This guide answers them in order.

The main open-access routes

Route	How it works	Cost to author	Typical licence
Gold	The final article is open on the journal’s website immediately	Often an article processing charge (APC), sometimes covered by an agreement	CC BY or similar
Green	You deposit a version (often the accepted manuscript) in a repository	Usually none	Depends on publisher policy
Diamond	Journal is open for readers and free for authors; costs carried by an institution or society	None	CC BY or similar
Hybrid	A single article is made open in a subscription journal	APC, unless covered by an agreement	CC BY or similar
Bronze	Free to read on the publisher’s site, but without a clear open licence	None	No reuse licence

Bronze is not usually counted as open access by funders, because access can be withdrawn and reuse is not permitted.

Gold open access

Gold OA journals make every article open on publication. Many charge an APC, and the amount varies widely by publisher and field. Before you pay anything yourself, ask your library: many institutions have publication funds or agreements with publishers under which the charge is reduced or paid centrally.

Green open access

Green OA means self-archiving: you place a version of your article in an institutional or subject repository, such as arXiv, a university repository or a discipline archive. Publishers usually specify which version is allowed (preprint, accepted manuscript or published version) and whether an embargo applies. Some funders now ask authors to retain rights so they can share the accepted manuscript immediately.

Diamond open access

Diamond journals charge neither readers nor authors. They are often run by scholarly societies, universities or library consortia. In many humanities and social science fields they are well established, and they can be an excellent choice when they are recognised in your community.

Hybrid open access

Hybrid means paying to make a single article open in a journal that otherwise sits behind a subscription. Funders’ attitudes to hybrid differ, and some will only pay for it within specific agreements, so check before you choose this route.

What funders and institutions may require

Many research funders require open access for the publications they fund. A well-known example is Plan S, an initiative of a group of funders known as cOAlition S, which asks for immediate open access under an open licence. National funders and universities often have their own policies. The requirements can include:

publishing in an OA journal or depositing a copy in a repository
a specific licence, often CC BY
no embargo or a maximum embargo period
open access to underlying data where possible

Note: Funder policies change and differ in detail. Read the current policy of your funder, which is usually linked in your grant conditions, and ask your library’s open-access team if anything is unclear. Our overview of research funding explains how to find the right funder.

How to choose an open-access journal

Make sure the journal fits your topic and is read in your field; the steps are covered in how to publish a research paper.
Check whether it is listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), which applies quality criteria for inclusion.
Look for clear information on peer review, editorial board, fees and licence.
Ask your library whether an agreement covers the APC.
Be wary of unsolicited invitations and promises of very fast publication; see how to spot predatory journals.

Pros and cons for authors

Advantages

Anyone can read your work, including practitioners, journalists and researchers without library access.
Reuse under an open licence makes it easier for others to build on your results.
You meet funder requirements and avoid compliance problems later.

Points to watch

APCs can be high if no agreement or fund covers them.
Not every OA journal is reputable, so due diligence matters.
Open access does not replace good journal choice; the right audience still matters most.

Checklist before you submit

Funder and institutional OA requirements read
Library asked about agreements or a publication fund
Journal checked in the DOAJ if it is fully open access
Licence (for example CC BY) compatible with your obligations
Self-archiving policy noted for the green route

Peer review works the same way in open-access and subscription journals; see how peer review works for details.