Open access is about making the products of research freely accessible to all. It allows research to be disseminated quickly and widely, the research process to operate more efficiently, and increased use and understanding of research by business, government, charities and the wider public.
There are two complementary mechanisms for achieving open access to research. The first mechanism is for authors to publish in open-access journals that do not receive income through reader subscriptions. The second is for authors to deposit their refereed journal article in an open electronic archive.