Open Access (OA) means free, immediate, permanent online access to the full text of peer reviewed literature for anyone connected to the internet.
Open Access for Research
Whitworth Library has links to Open Access (OA) databases to the A-Z Databases list. You can filter by "open access" in database type or look for the open access symbol 
next to any link in our Research Guides.
Other ways to find OA:
- Whitworth Digital CommonsThe Digital Commons is the institutional repository and open access archive of the intellectual and creative output of Whitworth University faculty, students, and staff.
- Kopernia Chrome ExtensionInstall this extension (from Web of Science) on your Chrome browser to connect to library holdings and OA content in PDF when searching the web.
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) This link opens in a new windowDOAJ content is included in search results with you use "Articles and more" on the Library homepage.
OA Publishers
With the advent of open access publishing, printing barriers are removed and the assembly and dissemination of information requires little more than Internet access. Unfortunately, this has led to a proliferation of open access publishers with little or no subject expertise and of questionable repute. (Source: Cornell University Open Access Publishing site)
Find reputable OA publications through these major publishers:
The Origins and History of OA
Did you know . . .
- That the ERIC database was launched in 1966?
- That the free e-book Project Gutenberg began in 1970?
- That New Horizons in Adult Education was an early, online, free, peer-reviewed journal, first published in 1987?
The history of Open Access also coincides with the history of networked communication, the Internet, and the Worldwide Web, with scholarship going online from as early as the 1960s.
(Source: University of Pittsburgh Origins of OA site)
- Timeline of the Open Access Movement (Open Access Directory)From the Open Access Directory at Simmons College. From 1966 to the present day--very detailed and up-to-date.
Traditional Publishing Model
Source: http://justpublics365.commons.gc.cuny.edu/files/2014/10/Problem-infographic3.jpg
How Open Is It?
A guide to the various versions of access created by SPARC, PLOS, and OASPA.
Green vs. Gold
Green Open Access refers to an author sharing their own work, commonly via an institutional repository or OA website, after publishing in a traditional outlet. Sometimes only a pre-print version may be shared, or there may be an embargo period before the author can share the accepted manuscript.
Gold Open Access is when the published version of an article is available, without restrictions, to the public. Some journals are entirely Gold OA, others are blended Gold/Green, and some have contracts that allow Green OA.