Open Access
Open access (OA) is the free and unlimited access to digital content, including text, data, software, audio, video, and multimedia. It includes non-scholarly content like music, movies, and novels. To be OA, a publication must be accessible via the internet or other means.
The author or copyright owner should grant users unlimited use, copy, and distribution rights, with proper attribution, and publish the article in an open-access repository. Open-access publications are freely available online, allowing unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided proper attribution is given to the author/editor.
Open access has garnered significant support from authors, science institutions, and funders due to its increased visibility and societal impact. Open-access publications, made freely available online, enhance visibility, uptake, and use of published work. Authors retain copyright through Creative Commons License, allowing reuse and redistribution with correct author attribution.
Open-access publications undergo rigorous peer review and publishing processes, similar to traditional subscription-based models. Online submissions and easy-to-use online submission enable quick review, approval, and publication.
Open-access publications enable the inclusion of supplementary material, such as figures, extensive data, and video footage, enabling quick compliance with funding mandates and easy bibliographical database insertion. Impact factors are crucial in assessing the quality and impact of open-access publications, ensuring their inclusion in citation tracking and bibliographic databases.