What is open access?Open access is usually a term associated with peer-reviewed journals, but it can be applied more generally, as well, to books and other materials. The open access symbol is a lock that has been opened.
Open access (OA) refers to online research outputs that are free of all restrictions on access (e.g. access tolls or subscriptions). Open access can be applied to all forms of published research output, including peer-reviewed and non peer-reviewed.
Materials with an "open license" (e.g. Creative Commons licenses) are considered OER. Materials that are "open access" means they are freely available to view online without having to log in or pay a subscription fee. Open access materials are NOT necessarily openly licensed. Sometimes, open access materials are ALSO openly licensed, but you have to check the license or copyright info. In general, you can always link to open access materials, but you must check each site's terms of use for any further copyright or usage restrictions (e.g. restrictions on downloading or making copies of materials).