Journal Policy

Open Access
Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to all of its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Free to Read Free to Download Free to Share Free to Copy
Budapest Open Access Initiative
Removing access barriers to this literature will accelerate research, enrich education, share the learning of the rich with the poor and the poor with the rich.
— BOAI, February 2002
2002 Founded
0 Cost to Read
CC Licensed
01 Our Policy

All content published in this journal is freely available without charge to users or institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to full-text articles without asking prior permission from the publisher or author.

This is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative. We believe that knowledge belongs to humanity — not behind paywalls. By committing to open access, we ensure that the research we publish reaches the widest possible audience, regardless of institutional affiliation or financial resources.

  • No Embargo Periods

    Articles are accessible from the moment of publication, with no waiting period for any reader anywhere in the world.

  • No Institutional Subscription Required

    Individual researchers, educators, and the general public access all content equally, free of charge.

  • Creative Commons Licensing

    Content may be reused and distributed freely, provided the original authors are properly attributed under CC terms.

100%
Open Access
0
Cost to Read
Global Reach
COPE Compliant

This journal follows internationally recognized standards of ethical publishing.

Immediate Access

No embargo periods. Articles are freely available from the moment of publication.

CC Licensed

All articles are published under Creative Commons licensing, ensuring broad reuse rights.

02 Why Open Access Matters
01

Accelerates Research

Immediate, unrestricted access means researchers build on each other's work faster and more effectively across disciplines.

02

Global Reach

Knowledge crosses borders freely, giving researchers in every country equal access to the world's literature without financial barriers.

03

Higher Visibility

Open access articles receive more citations and wider readership, significantly amplifying the impact and reach of your work.

04

Enriches Education

Students and educators gain free access to peer-reviewed research, strengthening teaching and learning at all levels.

05

Reduces Inequality

Removes financial barriers that prevent researchers at less-resourced institutions from accessing and contributing to knowledge.

06

Author Rights Preserved

Authors retain control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.

03 Two Pathways to Open Access
I

Self-Archiving

Scholars deposit their peer-reviewed journal articles in open electronic archives (repositories). When these archives conform to Open Archives Initiative standards, search engines treat separate archives as one unified, searchable resource — dramatically expanding discoverability.

Green Open Access
or
II

Open-Access Journals

A new generation of journals committed to open access — including this journal — use copyright and other tools to ensure permanent free access to all published articles, turning to alternative funding models rather than subscription fees.

Gold Open Access
04 Full Declaration
Budapest Open Access Initiative
14 February 2002

"Removing access barriers to this literature will accelerate research, enrich education, share the learning of the rich with the poor and the poor with the rich."

Scholarly Communication Open Knowledge

An old tradition and a new technology have converged to make possible an unprecedented public good. The old tradition is the willingness of scientists and scholars to publish the fruits of their research in scholarly journals without payment, for the sake of inquiry and knowledge…

05 Original Signatories

The following scholars and advocates signed the Budapest Open Access Initiative at its founding, committing to the principle that publicly funded research should be freely accessible to all.

Budapest, Hungary
14 February 2002
L
Leslie Chan
Bioline International
D
Darius Cuplinskas
Director, Information Program, Open Society Institute
M
Michael Eisen
Public Library of Science
F
Fred Friend
Director Scholarly Communication, University College London
J
Jean-Claude Guédon
University of Montreal
M
Melissa Hagemann
Program Officer, Information Program, Open Society Institute
S
Stevan Harnad
Professor of Cognitive Science, University of Southampton
R
Rick Johnson
Director, Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC)
M
Manfredi La Manna
Electronic Society for Social Scientists
P
Peter Suber
Professor of Philosophy, Earlham College
J
Jan Velterop
Publisher, BioMed Central
S
Sidnei de Souza
Informatics Director at CRIA, Bioline International