What Are the Gold and Green Open Access?
Publications are considered open access if they are made freely and with minimal limitations on repurposing available online to all users. For authors, readers, and funders, the unfettered distribution of research is extremely crucial.
There are quite a few different open access type variations, and each one is often designated after a different color: gold, green, hybrid, bronze, platinum, and black. Although different publishers may choose to employ one or more of these strategies, green and gold open access are the most often used. At SciencePG, we make your article available via “gold” OA option.
Gold Open Access:
In this model, articles and contents related to them can be accessed at no cost on the journal’s website.
According to Creative Commons Licenses (CC), gold open access articles can be freely shared and disseminated by others so that they can base their own works on them.
Green Open Access:
Green OA is also called self-archiving, writers can preserve their own work on a website they or their sponsor manages or on a separate repository. The article's deposited version could or might not represent its final form. It might be the accepted manuscript by the journal or an almost final one, after peer review. This is referred to as "post print."
Unlike the gold route of open access, some journals demand an embargo period – which may vary from six to twelve months in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and more than one year in humanities, arts and social sciences – before the actual self-archiving permission.
Gold vs Green Open Access
The table below shows some of the key differences between gold and green open access.
| Differences |
Gold open access |
Green open access |
| Access |
The final published version of your article (Version of Record, VoR) is always and completely free to read online. |
Also known as self-archiving, when you publish an earlier version of your manuscript in repositories and online. |
| Embargo Periods |
Not usually required, available immediately on publication. |
Usually required, available after embargo period. |
| Fees |
An article publishing charge (APC) is usually applicable if you publish gold OA. |
You can share your article without having to pay an APC. |
| Copyright |
The copyright belongs to the author. The agreement includes the Creative Commons license of your choice. This dictates what others can do with your article once it’s published. |
The copyright usually belongs to the publisher or affiliated society. Restrictions will apply to reuse. |
| Licensing |
Open license (e.g. CC BY) allows users to build on, adapt, and share onwards. |
Rights/re-use may be limited. You will need to check with the publisher. |