Universität Bonn

Open Access Service Center

Why open access?

Maybe you are asking yourself "What is all this for?" Here are a few good reasons to go down the open-access route. Plus we explain the drawbacks of the “traditional” or closed publication system.

So why open access?

There are a great many reasons why you should publish in an open-access format. Here are just a few of them. Open-access publications:

  • Are available online and have a wider reach
  • Can be read by anyone, including people who cannot access periodicals behind a paywall
  • Might even be completely free of charge, meaning that authors do not pay any fees
  • Are brought out quickly and contribute to the progress of innovation

Numerous funding organizations and universities have spoken out in favor of open access in the past few years. Like many of its peers, the University of Bonn is planning to publish an open-access policy.

Diagram showing benefits of OA, e.g. visibility, discoverability, etc.
© CC BY 4.0, open-access.network
Info-graph of classical publishing and its problems.
© CC BY 4.0, Open Access Service Center Bonn

Enabling access

The principle of academic freedom also means the freedom to choose one’s publication model. This means that you as the author can decide how to publish your findings and on what terms.

By contrast, one disadvantage of the "traditional" or closed publication model is that not all institutions and researchers in the world will be able to afford access to the periodicals relevant to them due to the high subscription costs charged for these periodicals.

    All open, all good?!

    Of course, there are also some justified arguments against open access: when it comes to the publication of research data, for instance, there may be organizational, legal or infrastructural reasons why it is not allowed to be made available to the general public.

    If you have any questions about open access in relation to research data, please do not hesitate to contact the Research Data Service Center at the University of Bonn.

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