What is Green (or Repository based) Open Access?

We’re getting ready to launch a friendly competition to get more Green Open Access article into CRO. So you might find yourself asking “What is Green Open Access?” and you wouldn’t be alone!

You may have heard people talking about Green, Gold, Hybrid or Diamond Open Access. It can sound like a box of crayons, but these terms simply describe different ways of making research openly available to everyone. 

This blog focuses on Green Open Access (Green OA), because it’s something most researchers can do without paying a cent. 

Green, or repository based, Open Access 

Green OA means making a version of your research article available through a repository, such as Charles Sturt’s institutional repository (CRO). 

For many researchers, Green OA is a way to share their work openly when the final published article isn’t Open Access. This can be for a number of reasons, but commonly it’s simply because there’s no funding available to pay for an Article Processing Charge (APC). 

The version you deposit is usually your Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) or the final version of your article after peer review and revisions, but before the publisher’s formatting and branding are applied. 

Publishers set their own rules about sharing accepted manuscripts. Some allow it immediately; others require a waiting period first, known as an embargo. 

Either way, the outcome is the same: your research becomes freely accessible to readers around the world, even if the journal itself sits behind a subscription paywall. 

What about the other colours? 

• Gold Open Access is when the final published Version of Record (VoR) is immediately available on the publisher’s website. Gold journals charge an APC. Gold OA is also commonly called Publisher Open Access. 

• Hybrid Open Access is where journals offer a mix of both open and subscription articles. Some articles in an issue may be open, after an APC is paid, while others stay closed to readers without a subscription. At Charles Sturt, many Hybrid journal APCs are already covered through the CAUL Read and Publish agreements. (LINK) 

• Diamond Open Access journals are freely available to readers without charging authors an APC. Diamond journals are usually backed by institutions, societies or other organisations. 

Why are we talking about Green Open Access? 

It’s one of the simplest ways to increase the visibility and accessibility of your research without paying an APC. Many researchers have publications locked behind a paywall that could be made openly available by depositing the Author Accepted Manuscript in CRO. 

Curious whether some of yours qualify? Bring Out Your Dead is coming soon!