Open Access Policy

The journal's open access policy provides authors with flexible options for making their research freely accessible to the global scientific community, supporting the principles of open science and knowledge dissemination. The policy offers two distinct pathways that accommodate different author preferences, funding arrangements, and institutional requirements while ensuring broad access to published research findings.

Gold Open Access represents the immediate publication model where articles become freely accessible to all readers upon publication without any access barriers or subscription requirements. This option operates under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, and adaptation of the work provided proper attribution is given to the original authors. Authors choosing this pathway pay an Article Processing Charge of 50 USD, which covers the editorial and production costs associated with open access publishing. The absence of any embargo period means that research findings become immediately available to researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the general public worldwide, maximizing the potential impact and citation opportunities for published work.

Green Open Access provides a cost-effective alternative that supports author self-archiving while respecting traditional publication models and subscription-based revenue streams. This pathway allows authors to deposit preprint versions of their manuscripts immediately in institutional repositories, subject repositories, or personal websites, enabling early sharing of research findings and facilitating scientific collaboration and feedback. For postprint versions that incorporate peer review improvements and final editorial changes, authors must observe a 12-month embargo period before making these final versions freely accessible. The policy actively encourages the use of institutional repositories, which enhance research visibility within academic institutions while supporting institutional mandates for open access compliance.

Both open access options serve complementary roles in the scholarly communication ecosystem, with Gold Open Access providing immediate universal access for maximum impact and Green Open Access offering a sustainable pathway for authors with limited funding or institutional constraints. The policy recognizes that different research communities, funding agencies, and career stages may favour different approaches to open access publishing. By supporting both models, the journal accommodates diverse author needs while advancing the broader goal of making scientific knowledge freely available to accelerate research progress, support evidence-based decision making, and contribute to global scientific advancement and societal benefit.