Glossary of Terms on Open Science

Diamond open access means publication in open access by the publisher so that publication fees are not charged to either the authors, their institutions, or the research funders.

Green open access is the process of providing open access through open access repositories (also known as “self-archiving”). The version of the paper deposited is most often the accepted manuscript – that is, the article accepted for publication, including all changes made following peer review. The document becomes publicly available, typically after the embargo period imposed by the publisher has expired.

Gold open access means the direct publication of an article in open access mode by the publisher. To cover publication costs, the publisher charges a fee directly from the authors or, more often, indirectly from the institution employing the author or from the project funders with which the author is engaged. This fee is known by the acronym APC (Author Processing Charge).

Hybrid journals are journals that charge a subscription fee, or fees for article downloads, but allow authors to make their article open access by paying an additional processing fee.

Embargo period is the time period determined by the publisher during which the author is not permitted to post a self-archived copy of the publication as open access. The period is calculated from the moment the original publication is released online.

Published version of the paper (Version of Record, VoR) is the final version of the paper, published in a journal (after copyediting and formatting by the publisher). Publishers usually retain copyright on this version, which is why it is often not allowed to use this version in Green open access.

Peer-reviewed version of the paper (author-accepted manuscript, AAM, Accepted version) is the version of the paper that has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication by the journal. This version includes all changes made during the peer review process, but does not include copyediting, formatting, or stylistic changes made by the publisher.

Non-peer-reviewed version of the paper (pre-print) is the version of the paper that has not yet undergone formal peer review.

Metadata are the descriptors used to describe, track, use, and manage the deposited record.

Persistent identifiers (PID) are long-lasting references for digital resources (e.g., ORCID, DOI, handle). An identifier is a marker that provides a unique name for an entity—a person, a place, or a thing.

Repository is a system of electronic services that enables the archiving, permanent storage, public presentation, and dissemination of various types of scientific outputs.

Data Management Plan is a formal document that specifies how research data are handled during and after a research project. This document identifies the key actions required to ensure that the research data are of high quality and compliant with FAIR principles.

FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable) are the guiding principles of discoverability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability.

Paths for Open Access Publishing: There are several options for publishing in open access. The chosen path depends on various factors and is determined on a case-by-case basis. Based on the chosen path for open access publishing, the following order of priority is recommended: