Open Access& Publishing Models

With the rise of digital publication comes a host of new publication models that enhance the speed of publication and the accessibility of the objects published. These include:

Institutional Repositories

IRs, like Clemson Open, can distribute material published in other venues, but can also serve as a platform to publish unique materials (Books, Posters, or other types of scholarship). In addition, many IRs support online e-journal publication. 

Grant and Funder Supported Projects

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is an excellent model for distributing research openly and quickly without charging authors or readers.  

Library and University-based Publishing

Many libraries and universities (PDF) are playing increasingly active roles in disseminating the scholarship produced on their campuses. 

Open Access Publishing

Publishing with an OA journal insures that your work will be published rapidly and that you will retain ownership of it. In addition, research continues to suggest that making your work OA, in any form, increases its impact. Some OA journals charge Author Processing Fees, but many are supported by grants or endowments, universities and libraries, or freemium models. Upstart journal PeerJ is even supported by an interesting membership model. 

• Gold: The author submits the scholarly work to a publisher who will provide Open Access output immediately with no embargo period (waiting time). It includes APCs. Check out Elsevier's journals video about gold journals.
• Hybrid: They are traditional journals (funded by subscriptions) that offer authors the option to make their individual article Open Access. This option will have an additional fee.
• Green: The author has archived versions of the scholarly work in the institutional repository-IR such as Clemson Open.
• Diamond: The author submits the scholarly work to be published OA without APCs for both authors and readers, such as DIAMAS Project.

1. Choose your journal carefully:
   1. Read the scope of journal to fit your research topic. This step saves your time.

• Identify the journal's impact:
  • Find the journal's reputation.
    • Is it indexed in Scopus? Web of Science via JCR?
    • If yes, what impact does the journal have in the discipline?
      • Read quartile (Q) ranking here
      • Watch this video about Cite score here
        • Credits: Clarivate Analytics. (n.d.) Journal Citation Reports: Quartile rankings and other metrics. Retrieved June 9, 2025, from https://support.clarivate.com/ScientificandAcademicResearch/s/article/Journal-Citation-Reports-Quartile-rankings-and-other-metrics%20otago.libguides.com+15
    • Are gold OA journals included in DOAJ?
    • Check peer review process in the journal
• Identify your publisher:
  • Publisher's characteristics:
  • Publisher's type:
    • Non-profit, independent, university press, or society publisher
    • Reputable academic publishers (ex. Sage, IGI Global)
    • Large corporate publishers such as Wiley, Springer, Elsevier, Macmillan
• Identify the predatory journal and publisher. Check this LibGuide to read more about this topic.
• Prepare your manuscript:
  • Follow journal's guidelines section for authors to ensure that your manuscript meets the publication's formatting, scope, and submission requirements.
  • Select strong keywords for more visibility and discoverability.
  • Use your digital IDs: make sure you use your ORCID, author ID, and Web of Science (aka publons) when submitting your scholarly work. This practice ensures that your scholarly work is accurately connected to you, no matter where or how it's published.
• Choose your OA publishing track:
  • Decide which publishing model (gold, green, hybrid, or diamond) you want for your scholarly work.
  • Consider the following points:
    • Timing: What time frame do you want for your research? 
    • Your research visibility: depending on the time frame that you have chosen.
    • Cost: Are there APCs? Is it covered by Clemson Libraries?
    • Licensing: How can others reuse your scholarly work? Check here to identify different types of OA publishing licensing.
    • Your funder: If you have a grant, does it require/approve of OA publishing?
  • Check your Libraries' support in each path here.
  • Submit and follow up your work.
  • Market your work when accepted.