Open access (OA) refers to publishing research and data to provide unrestricted access in commercial and non-commercial sources. Material is shared through Creative Commons licences, often the Attribution CC-BY licence allowing the reuse and distribution of material, and requiring attribution to the original creator. Open access includes journal articles, books, chapters, artwork and images, data and software code. Open data enables the sharing and reuse of research data.
Credible OA publications are peer-reviewed, with editorial standards. Some benefits can include:
Delegates at the Communication Strategies for Open Research conference (CISPC) 2019 offer opinions on what open research means to them and their institutions.