What is Open Access?
Open Access (OA) is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment. OA ensures that anyone can access and use these results and ideas to impact knowledge and grow ideas. GW encourages you to consider open access publishing to make your work more broadly available. Through the enactment of the GW Open Access Policy, the university has demonstrated its commitment to the free and open dissemination of knowledge.
How to make your work open access:
- Publish your article in an open access journal. For an index of high quality, peer-reviewed options, check out the Directory of Open Access Journals.
- Submit your work to an open access repository. Examples include:
The GW Open Access Policy
In February 2026, the Office of Ethics, Compliance, and Risk (OECR) enacted the GW Open Access policy. A complete overview of policy details can be found on the OECR Open Access Policy website.
The GW Open Access Policy was preceded by the GW Faculty Open Access Resolution.
Resources to Learn More about Open Access
Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC)
SPARC is an international alliance of academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication. It is proactively involved in advancing the understanding and implementation of policies and practices that ensure Open Access to scholarly research outputs.
For more information on Open Access, please contact the Scholarly Communications team.
