Gold Open Access

Gold OA refers to the most common type of open access, where articles and content are immediately available through the journal's website.  

• There are no subscription fees to access the resources through a Gold OA journal.
• The finalized, edited, and peer-reviewed version of the work is available to anyone that has the technological means to access it.
• Most journals conduct a peer review of the submitted articles and are of the same caliber and content as traditionally published journals.

Public Library of Science and BioMedCentral are examples of OA journals. The Directory of Open Access Journals can also provide a list of other medical journals that are OA.

Green Open Access

Green OA refers to articles and content that are shared outside of publications, such as institutional or scholarly repositories. 

• The works in the repository may be the finalized version of a work, or it can be a draft of a work before it is edited and peer-reviewed.
• Authors can choose (or may be mandated) to deposit copies of their published work into their institution’s scholarly repository.

The UNTHSC Scholarly Repository is an example of a Green OA.

Hybrid Journals

Hybrids journals are those that still mainly follow traditional publishing processes and pay-for-access subscriptions, but also have certain articles that are open access.

• Authors can choose whether to have their articles published traditionally or through OA.
• With either option, submissions are peer-reviewed and held to the same content and quality standards.

JAMA and BMJ both offer hybrid options. Most of their articles are accessible through a subscription, but there are numerous other articles that people can access without having to pay or subscribe.