Open Access: How to Publish Open Access

There are three routes available to publish your research open access, Green, Gold, and Diamond. Below are the practical steps to follow when publishing open access, a video outlining the routes, and an information sheet on complying with funder requirements.

The Green Route is where authors publish their research in a journal or publication that charges for readers to access. The author then makes the "author accepted manuscript" (AAM) available on an open access repository, such as Research Repository UCD. In the AAM, all peer review edits have been made, but none of the copy-editing, layout or branding has been carried out by the publisher.

There are no fees to authors for this option.

Step 1: Choose a journal to publish in. This must be either a subscription or hybrid journal. Hybrid journals have some content behind a paywall and some on open access. You cannot choose a fully open access journal, because these charge a fee for open access on all content published.

Step 2: Go to JISC’s Open Policy Finder. Search for your journal title to find out what the publisher’s policy is on green open access. Check for an embargo. An embargo is a waiting period a publisher may apply, before your article can be made open access. Identify which types of repositories your article can be deposited on. Read the journal's guidelines for publishing open access also.

Step 3: Ensure the journal chosen and open access option meets your funding requirements.

Step 4: Submit your article for publication.

Step 5: If you are including a Rights Retention statement, ensure this is part of your submitted journal article. See our Rights Retention page for details.

Step 6: Deposit a version of the article on an open access repository. This can be done via UCD’s Research Management System, if using Research Repository UCD. See our Repository Guide for details. Publishers usually allow the AAM to be deposited. Occasionally, publishers will allow the version of record, which is the final published version.

The Gold Route is where an author publishes their work in a fully open access journal or hybrid journal. These articles are made freely available at the point of publication.

There are significant fees for either authors, institutions or funding bodies for this option.

Step 1: Choose a fully open access or hybrid journal to publish in. 

Step 2: Go through the 3 Step Eligibility Check to see if your article qualifies for our Open Access Publishing Agreements.

Step 3: If your article is covered by an Open Access Publishing Agreement, submit your article, ensuring to use your UCD affiliation and email address. If we have an agreement, the publisher should prompt you to select this option. Contact oapublishing@ucd.ie if you have questions or are prompted for payment or invoicing details. Check our Open Access Publishing Agreements guide to ensure the quota has not run out, and your article meets the criteria set out by the publisher.

Step 4: If your article is not covered by the library’s agreements, source funding for the open access charge elsewhere. Your funder may allow you to use a certain amount for this purpose.

Step 5: Ensure the journal chosen and open access option meet your funding requirements.

Step 6: Submit your article for publication.

The Diamond Route is where works are made open access at the time of publication, and publishers do not apply charges to author or readers. They gather their fees in other ways, such as library membership or from community organizations.

There are no fees to authors for this option.

Step 1: Identify a diamond journal to publish in. You can search DOAJ.org, which lists thousands of journals.

Step 2: Ensure the journal chosen and open access option meet your funding requirements.

Step 3: Submit your article and undergo the normal peer review and publication process.
 

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