There are great open-access (OA) journals in just about every field you can think of. If you decide to pursue publishing open access (as opposed to green open access/self-archiving) you have lots of options! The resources on the evaluating journals page can be a great help here, especially the Directory of Open Access Journals.
First decide if you want to publish in a diamond, gold, or hybrid OA journal. Each have their strengths and potential limitations:
| Diamond: |
Gold: |
Hybrid |
- Free to publish and free to read, completely OA
- Often small, independent journals Some are still emerging/establishing.
- May not have publishing history necessary for an established impact factor.
|
- Charge article processing fees
- May be published by non-profit or for-profit entity
- Supporting a completely OA journal
|
- Charge article processing fees
- Often published by a for-profit publisher
- Potentially higher citation advantage and likely higher impact factor
|
For hybrid journals, you are likely going to be pursuing an OA path in a subscription-based journal- reviewing the journal’s website and using journal-level evaluation tools like Web of Science or Google Scholar may be valuable. Additionally, you should pay close attention to how author rights are managed by the journal.
If you are seeking to publish in a Gold or Diamond journal, you should review the website to learn more about its editorial board and review process. You can also search to find where it is indexed, including if it is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals.
For all, it will likely be helpful to evaluate the journals that you find helpful in your own research and reading.