What is Open Access?
Open Access refers to the free availability of research results online.
The basic idea is that publicly funded research should be accessible for everyone. In this way, research results can be disseminated to the benefit of society.
Open Access places certain demands on researchers, universities, and authorities. EU, the Swedish Government, and several key research funders require research results to be published Open Access.
Dalarna University recommends that doctoral students and researchers publish Open Access.
More information about Open Access in Sweden and the European Union can be found through the National Library.
National Library - Open Access
Publish Open Access
There are three main ways to publish Open Access:
- Gold Open Access
- Hybrid Open Access
- Green Open Access – parallel publishing in DiVA
Gold Open Access
Gold Open Access journals are freely available (no cost) scholarly journals. They are subject to peer review and editorial quality control just as traditional scholarly journals are. However, they are not financed by way of subscription. Some Open Access journals charge authors a publishing fee.
You can find Open Access journals in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Hybrid Open Access
Some subscription-based journals allow you as the author to make your article freely available through the payment of a fee. Most of the large journal publishers provide this type of service.
Green Open Access – Parallel publishing in DiVA
Green Open Access, also known as parallel publishing, is when an article that is published in a traditional scholarly journal is also made freely available in an open electronic archive such as DiVA.
Parallel Publishing in DiVA
Dalarna University requires that doctoral students and researchers register and archive their publications in DiVA. The University also recommends that you publish the fulltext of your work Open Access in DiVA where copyright and the publishing agreement permit this.
Rights of the Author
The rights of the author to make the article available are determined by the agreement with the publisher.
Examples of common terms:
- Author's or publisher's version
- Embargo, i.e. parallel publishing after a set period, usually 6-12 months
- Reference and link to the original publication
Information about policies for different scientific journals and publishers can be found in Sherpa/Romeo.
If you are unable to find information about the journal there, go to the journal's website and look for information on copyright and other conditions for parallel publishing.
Sherpa/Romeo - policies for scientific journals and publishers
Publishing a Book Open Access
Open Access publishing has to date mostly been the domain of academic journals. However, Open Access publishing of books is an emerging area. Ubiquity Press in London and Stockholm University Press are two such publishers.
Funders with Open Access Requirements
Results from publicly financed research should be available for everyone. This is a requirement of numerous research financiers in Sweden and throughout Europe.
- The Knowledge Foundation
- Swedish Research Council
- Forte
- Formas
- EU Horizon Europe
- Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
- Östersjöstiftelsen
- Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
- National Institutes of Health NIH
More research funding bodies with Open Access requirements can be found in the Sherpa Juliet database.
Open Access Publishing Agreements
As a doctoral student or researcher at Dalarna University, you are able to publish Open Access free of charge in thousands of journals.
The publishing fee (APC) is covered by the Library.
Dalarna University is part of the agreements that Bibsam at the National Library has signed with publishers. The agreements are deals combining subscription fees and publishing fees.
As author, you retain the copyright of your article via a Creative Commons licence.
The agreements intend to accelerate the transformation of the scholarly publishing systems to Open Access - making research openly available on the Internet.
Which publishers are included in the agreements?
- BMJ
- Brill
- Cambridge Core (Journals)
- De Gruyter
- Elsevier
- Emerald
- Frontiers
- Hindawi
- MDPI (20% discount)
- MJS Publishing
- Oxford Journals
- PLOS
- SAGE
- Springer Compact
- Springer Nature Fully OA
- Taylor & Francis
- Wiley
Information about the agreements can be found via the National Library.
National Library - Open Access publishing agreements
What do I as corresponding author need to do?
- The corresponding author must be affiliated with Dalarna University
- State your affiliation to Dalarna University when submitting your article
- Use your Dalarna University email adress
Once your article has been accepted for publication, the Library will receive a notice.
The Library verifies that you are affiliated to Dalarna University.
After that, the article is published Open Access.
Parallel Publishing in DiVA
To increase the visibility and dissemination of your article, parallel publish it in DiVA.
The agreements permit immediate publication of the publisher’s version of the article in DiVA.
Funding for Open Access Publishing
Open Access Publishing: Internal Process and Criteria for Applications for Internal Funding of Publishing Fee (APC)
Dalarna University encourages Open Access publishing. For this type of publication, some journals charge a fee (Article Processing Charge, APC).
Many external research funders demand Open Access publishing. Some research funders provide funding for the publication fee, while others refer to the publishing agreements that universities are part of.
If a journal is not covered by the publication agreements that Dalarna University is part of, as a researcher or doctoral student, you should primarily apply for external funding for the publication fee. Alternatively, you can apply for internal funding for the publication fee from the Library.
Applications for Internal Funding: Requirements and Criteria
- You must be employed at Dalarna University or have been admitted as a doctoral student.
- You must be the “corresponding author” of the article.
- Your affiliation to Dalarna University/Högskolan Dalarna must be apparent in the article.
- When you as researcher apply for external funding from a research funder, the funds for the publication fee should always be included – as long as this cost has been approved by the research funding body.
When and how do I apply for internal funding for the publication fee?
Read the information below carefully before completing the form entitled Application funding Open Access publishing.
The Library contacts your Deputy Head of School to get your application approved for further processing. The application is then processed by the Library. The Library Director makes the formal decision on the application. The Library will inform you directly of the decision and a copy will be provided to your Deputy Head of School.
- The maximum amount of funding per article is 30 000 kr.
- Funding will be allocated on a “first come, first served” basis
- When the article is published, you must register and publish it in DiVA
Application Funding Open Access Publishing
Predatory Publishers
There are Open Access publishers that are not academic or trustworthy. In return for the publication fee (APC), you are offered rapid publishing in what is claimed to be a peer-reviewed journal. These predatory publishers and journals abuse the research community for economic gain at the expense of academic quality.
You are welcome to contact the library, and we will review the journal.
Consider the following before you send an article to a journal you are unfamiliar with:
- Are previously published articles written by prestigious authors and/or from prestigious departments in the field?
- Is there sufficient information about the publisher? Who is in charge?
- Who sits on the editorial board?
- Is there sufficient contact information?
- How does their peer review process work?
- Are the terms in their publishing agreement reasonable? Who maintains copyright?
- Is information on the journal's site credible?
Think Check Submit is a resource that helps researchers to assess the credentials of a journal or publisher.
A guide to reviewing Open Access journals is "Open Access and predatory publishers" by Pieta Eklund, University of Borås.
Cabells Predatory Reports lists predatory journals and publishers.
"Open Access and predatory publishers" by Pieta Eklund, University of Borås