Open Access

Open access (OA) publishing is a movement that promotes open access to scientific publications, including their further use—this involves proper attribution, licensing, and ensuring long-term storage and archiving of the full text of the given output.

The main benefit of publishing in open access mode is increased accessibility of scientific results to both the academic community and the general public. It also offers the potential for broader feedback and greater impact of published findings. The decision to publish in open access can be influenced by various factors. One of the most significant may be the requirements set by funding agencies, which may mandate open access publishing. More information about the conditions set by Czech funding agencies can be found on the websites dedicated to current calls of the Czech Science Foundation (GA ČR) and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA ČR).

OA Publishing Models

One of the most commonly used models of OA publishing today is the so-called gold open access. In this model, research results are made openly accessible and preserved in an open access journal, typically in exchange for a fee. These fees are most often referred to as article processing charges (APCs), though other terms such as open access publication fee may also be used. When publishing in OA mode, it is important to thoroughly review the financial conditions under which the selected journal allows open access publishing. In some cases, publishers and journals may offer waivers for these fees through APC tokens. Detailed information on this type of financial support for OA publishing is available on a dedicated page here.

The green open access model refers to publishing where research results are made accessible and stored in an open repository operated and funded by a public institution. To locate open repositories for scientific publications, one can use directories such as OpenDOAR or the European platform OpenAIRE. The Prague University of Economics and Business (VŠE) also provides a recognized repository for storing publication outputs. Green open access is often used in combination with the gold or diamond routes—meaning that after publishing an article in a peer-reviewed journal, the author also deposits (self-archives) the article. In such cases, it is essential to carefully review the licensing agreement signed with the publisher. The selected license and contractual terms may limit the ability to share the publication in open repositories or the version that may be deposited (e.g., preprint or postprint only).

In addition to these two forms of open publishing, there is also a model known as diamond or platinum open access. This is a type of open publishing in which journals offering this model are funded or sponsored directly by one or more institutions (e.g., a university press). Publishing in this way does not involve any additional fees—neither for the author of the article nor for the reader (as opposed to standard non-open access through subscription-based models).

Licensing of OA Publications

Publications in open access mode should be accompanied by a public license to allow further use of the work. In the case of the gold route, these rights are governed by a license agreement concluded with the publisher. The publication output is most often released under one of the public licenses, usually one of the internationally recognized Creative Commons (CC) licenses.