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There are two main models for academic publishing: traditional publishing and open access publishing. The primary difference lies in who pays the publisher and who can easily read a journal's contents.
Traditional: In this model, subscribers pay the publishers for access to the journal. Subscribers include libraries like the University of Miami Libraries, which subscribe to tens of thousands of journals for our students, faculty, and staff. Authors do not pay to publish. Many well-known, prestigious, high-impact journals use the traditional publishing model.
Open access: In this model, articles are free to read by anyone with an internet connection. Since publishers do not charge to read the articles, authors typically pay a fee to publish their articles. Articles in open access journals are sometimes read and cited more often. There are many high-impact, prestigious journals that use the open access model too.
Hybrid journals: Some journals offer a hybrid option, offering authors a choice between using the traditional subscriber-only model or making their articles free to read using the open access model.
For more information on scholarly communication and choosing a journal for your research, see our research guide on Scholarly Communications and Open Access
Please note that the University of Miami Libraries offer discounts and waivers for selected open access publications. For details, see the Open Access Funding guide.