Open access (OA) refers to established principles and practices that support a publishing model for scholarly research materials—such as research papers, journal articles and books—that are openly accessible online to view or download, often at no cost to the user. These scholarly works are primarily intended to document new knowledge and to contribute to ongoing academic discourse. While users have unrestricted access to the materials, they are not permitted to modify or remix them. Open access items are typically free to access online, and never require passwords to access.
