Glossary
Gold open access
Gold open access means the journal itself is fully open: every article is free to read immediately on the publisher's site. The publishing costs are met some other way, most often by an article processing charge, sometimes by an institution or a consortium.
Reviewed 1 August 2026
In practice
Why the distinction matters for waivers
Nearly every waiver policy is limited to fully open access journals. If your target journal is hybrid, the country-based waiver most likely does not apply to it, even at the same publisher.
Gold does not mean paid
The colour describes access, not price. A fully open access journal can be free to publish in — that variant is usually called diamond.
Common misconceptions
Gold open access does not mean the author always pays. It means the reader never does.