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Open Access

What is Open Access

Open Access logo​

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  1. Open Access (OA) is about providing free online access to research output.
  2. It permits any user to read, use, re-use, distribute or download research as long as they acknowledge the original author/creator.
  3. It can be applied to all forms of published research output, i.e. conference papers, books, monographs, etc.

Benefits

✓ No financial barriers to accessing research outputs.
✓ A wider audience can read, use and share research publications.
✓ Society gets to benefit from the research that is conducted with the support of taxpayers' money.
✓ Increases researchers' visibility, citations, and impact.
✓ The University receives more funding due to a more significant research impact.

Open Access Mandates and NWU Library Initiatives

Open Access Mandates

The NWU committed to Open Access by signing the Berlin Declaration and is further guided by the NRF's Open Access statement:

“From 1 March 2015, authors of research papers generated from research either fully or partially funded by NRF, when submitting and publishing in academic journals, should deposit their final peer-reviewed manuscripts that have been accepted by the journals, to the administering Institution Repository with an embargo period of no more than 12 months.“

NWU Library Initiatives

Open Access Publishing

Author Information

Before selecting a journal for the publication of an article,

  • distinguish between full and hybrid open-access journals.
  • Check if the journal complies with the funder's requirements on Open Policy Finder.
  • Read the publisher’s and journal's Open Access policies on Open Policy Finder.
  • search for accredited journals.
  • Beware of questionable/predatory open-access journals.
  • Ask your research librarian for assistance if you are uncertain about a journal's credibility.

Authors' rights

Authors may alter the copyright agreement with the publisher. 

  • The right to reproduce or distribute the article for any use relating to education or other non-commercial use.
  • to authorise others to use the article for non-commercial use.
  • to distribute the article for coursework or in any other digital open-access platform.
  • to deposit post-print/pre-print to Boloka (Read relevant funder's, publisher's and journal Open Access policies).

More information

Journal Information

Publish in Open Access Journals

  • Gold: Article Processing charge (APC)
  • Check Open Policy Finder for the funder's Open Access policy.
  • The author has to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC), or the funder might provide an OA Article publishing charge.
  •  Authors may publish in full Open Access journals where publishers freely make articles available online for public access. 
  • Authors may publish in subscription journals with an open-access publishing option.

Basic indicators of legitimacy 

Methods for investigating a journal include visiting its website and identifying research-associated scholars and the publisher. Importantly, talk to colleagues.

✓ Check Open Policy Finder for the publisher’s and journal's Open Access policies.
✓ Does the journal have an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)?
✓ The website should have an email, street address, and working phone number.
✓ Is the journal listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)?

Not all legitimate, open-access journals are listed in the directory.

(Source: Columbia University Libraries)

Deposit research output on Boloka: NWU Institutional Repository

  • Green: Free for the author and free access to the user.
  • NWU researchers must deposit post-prints (peer-reviewed - commonly called the author's final version) articles into Boloka.
  • Articles should be submitted for inclusion into Boloka after they have been approved and are ready for publication.
  • An article may be made available immediately or after 6-12 months after the report has been published, depending on the publisher's Open Access policy.
  • Check Open Policy Finder for the publisher's and journal's Open Access policies.
  • All major search engines, including Google Scholar, harvest Boloka and Google Scholar.
  • To increase the visibility, availability and impact of the research output.

Why do you need to deposit research to Boloka? See NRF statement, 2015

Other publications to deposit on Boloka:

  • Conference papers (preferably Peer-Reviewed) can be included in Boloka as soon as the author agrees to the T&Cs and authorises the NWU to upload for public access. The author should bear in mind the publisher's Open Access policy, redistribution of material, Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy.
  • NWU Theses and dissertations (Strictly those approved for the graduation ceremony)
  • Inaugural Lectures

Research Librarians can assist with

✓ archiving pre-print and post-print or publisher's version/PDF.
✓ Uploading the research output on Boloka.
✓ I am checking the publisher's copyright and Open Access policies.
✓ We are creating a complete record of the article, placing an embargo period where necessary or attaching Full text.

Open Access Content

Data Repositories