There are many types of Open Access, also known as ‘routes’, with the differences based on how the costs of publication are covered. The two most common routes to Open Access are:
Green Open Access is the model where the accepted manuscript of a work is made available, usually via an institutional repository such as Goldsmiths Research Online, either immediately on publication or after an embargo period. Green Open Access is also known as self-archiving, and is based on the traditional subscription model of publication.
Gold Open Access is where the final published version is made immediately available by the publisher to download, redistribute, and reuse from the date of publication after payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC). An APC is usually payable when the manuscript is editorially accepted and before publication and is charged to either the author, research funder, or institution. Gold Open Access can be in subscription journals or in journals that are entirely Open Access. Subscription journals which offer paid Gold Open Access option are known as ‘hybrid’ Open Access journals.
Goldsmiths currently favours Open Access by means of the Green route, or by any other route which does not require additional payment in exchange for Open Access. However, Goldsmiths has been provided by UKRI with a small block grant to cover APCs for research only funded by UKRI. This grant is finite and is available to researchers on a first come, first served basis for publications that meet the requirements of the UKRI Policy on Open Access. If you are UKRI-funded and want to apply for an APC then contact gro@gold.ac.uk with details of the journal and your grant number.
If your paper is not funded by UKRI, there are alternative ways to publish Gold Open Access without paying a fee. Goldsmiths is part of “Read and Publish” Open Access agreements with some academic publishers. These agreements allow corresponding authors from Goldsmiths to publish Open Access in selected journals, usually with no additional cost (the cost is covered by the agreement, which combines the price of subscriptions with some Open Access charges). Terms of each agreement differ. For more information, please refer to the Publisher Open Access Deals available to Goldsmiths Researchers section of this guide.