What is an Open Access Journal?
Open Access (OA) journal is the type of journal that allows free and unrestricted access to articles on the internet. OA journals unlike usual journals that are subscription-based, or pay walls allow everyone to access the material without any charge. This enables the circulation of ideas and knowledge with ease.
Main Features of Open Access Journals
- Free to Read: OA journals do not have pay-walls; thus any person anywhere can read the articles on the journal without being charged
- Sharing Allowed: Most of the OA journals allow sharing and reuse of articles provided the author is acknowledged.
- Reviewed for Quality: Peer review is a thorough process employed in OA journals whereby the articles are reviewed to ascertain the validity of the information presented therein.
Types of Open Access
- Gold Open Access: Articles are published and are immediately available for reading at no charge. Sometimes this is done through author or author’s organization payments to the journal.
- Green Open Access: An article is made available to the public for free online but in a variation in subject repositories by the authors.
- Hybrid Open Access: Journals that usually do not charge an access fee allow authors to pay a fee so that their articles are accessible without charge.
Why Open Access is Good
- Increased Readership: The reach of publications goes beyond just students in academic circles, all the way to even researchers, all of whom can only lead to greater research outcomes.
- Universal Access: The content of the articles can be read by anyone in the world, including those who are unable to afford the funds.
- Simple Words: The resources are available without cost so sharing becomes a lot easier.
Why Choose Open Access Journals Like UIJRT?
The global appeal of innovations can be seen through UIJRT’s resolve of making research more approachable through cutting edge technology and platforms such as UIJRT allow researchers to submit papers which makes them globally visible. UIJRT also supports Open Access and welcomes researchers globally to publish through its portals so that other researchers can use them in their future works or broader understanding of any topic.
UIJRT assists with supportive authorship directives and sets proper submission guidelines for researchers to follow. Following a generic format for the paper enables authors to publish them without any issues.
Difficulties Facing Open Access
- Costs for Authors: Authors were required to pay the publication costs themselves when submitting work to OA journals.
- Fake Journals: “Predatory journals” have many characteristics of open access but do not have appropriate screening for the articles submitted for publication.
Why Open Access is Important
Open Access helps to democratize knowledge. The UIJRT journal, for instance, is in favor of Open Access so that every student, researcher, and teacher in any part of the globe is able to study and exchange ideas. This contributes to the progress of education, science, and technology for all.
In this case, all the parties, including UIJRT, who tend to practice Open Access, are free to work more towards the solution of global issues. Submission of articles targeted at timely publication in one of the international journals having good reputation is encouraged at UIJRT.