Primary publication in an OA journal

The primary publication of scientific texts in OA journals, also called “Open Access Gold”, allows users the free access to these contributions. This includes first publications that, just like contributions to closed-access journals, go through quality assurance procedures, like mostly peer reviews.

Unfortunately, not all OA journals meet the high standards of scientific quality assurance. That is why it is advisable to consider the following factors when choosing a suitable open access journal:

• Does the journal conduct a peer review process?
• Who does the editorial board consist of (are there recognized scientists amongst the editors)?
• Is the publisher member of the OASPA (Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association) or another acknowledged industry association?
• Are the journal editors members of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)?
• What are the costs for an open access publication?

Another good point of reference in the search for a suitable journal is the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Services like
think.check.submit can also help in choosing the right medium.

Articles in OA journals are usually financed via publication fees (so-called Article Processing Charges, APCs). These fees are generally paid by the authors themselves (e.g. out of research or project funds) but can also be covered through the publication fund of the respective institution. Moreover, some journals and publishers offer special conditions to members of the University of Innsbruck.

Related Links

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): https://www.doaj.org/
• Selection of suitable OA journals: https://thinkchecksubmit.org/
• Information on Predatory Publishing and how to distinguish a serious from a dubious journal can be found at https://www.uibk.ac.at/de/ulb/publikationsservices/predatory-publishing/