{"id":91,"date":"2026-01-06T16:45:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T21:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/chapter\/other-open-access-models\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:11:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T21:11:32","slug":"other-open-access-models","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/chapter\/other-open-access-models\/","title":{"raw":"Other Open Access Models","rendered":"Other Open Access Models"},"content":{"raw":"While all forms of open access (OA) fall broadly into either the green or gold classification, there are additional, nuanced, forms of OA which are used to highlight distinguishing features among the varieties. Because these terms are also often used to describe OA, it is worth understanding their unique features.\n

Platinum or Diamond Open Access<\/h2>\n[pb_glossary id=\"294\"]Platinum OA[\/pb_glossary] gets its name from its association with gold OA, as it is seen as a premier or superior form. The distinguishing characteristic of platinum OA is that articles are published OA immediately in OA journals but there are no article processing charges (APCs) back to the author. As discussed previously, APCs are a common characteristic of gold OA, yet it is not true that all or even most OA journals charge these fees<\/a>. Many gold OA journals rely on institutional support, grants, memberships etc. to fund their publication and as a result do not ask their authors to contribute any additional funds. It is because these journals do not charge back any costs to authors that they are granted the platinum distinction.\n

Hybrid Open Access<\/h2>\nHybrid OA is used to describe a journal that publishes both gold OA and traditional subscription-based research. These journals present their authors with the choice to either pay an APC and have their work disseminated as OA, or to submit it as a non-OA article. Hybrid journals are a contentious issue among OA advocates, as they largely reinforce the supremacy of traditional publication venues and often provide an additional revenue stream to already profitable journals. Hybrid journals also tend to have substantial APC charges, with the more prestigious journals charging the highest fees. Notably, academic libraries take issue with hybrid journals as they charge authors to make a subsection of their articles OA, but still require libraries to pay undiscounted subscription fees to access the additional pay-walled content. As a result, hybrid journals are often accused of \u201cdouble dipping\u201d.\n

Bronze Open Access<\/h2>\n[pb_glossary id=\"296\"]Bronze OA[\/pb_glossary] refers to scholarship that may be publicly available online but does not include clear reuse permission. Because of this lack of clarity, bronze is used to confer its inferior status in relation to gold or platinum OA literature, which is clearly marked for reuse. Whether or not bronze OA meets funder requirements or other OA polices is dependent on individual polices. According to a 2018 study<\/a>, Bronze OA, while little talked about, may be the most prevalent form of OA in practice. As mentioned earlier in this section, bronze OA is also called\u00a0gratis<\/em>\u00a0OA.\n
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Dig Deeper<\/h5>\nTo learn more about the challenges of hybrid OA, review:\n\nMatthias, Lisa. (2018). The worst of both worlds: Hybrid Open Access<\/a>. Licensed under\u00a0CC BY<\/a>.\n\nKingsley, Danny and Philip Boyes. (2016).\u00a0Hybrid open access \u2013 an analysis<\/a>. Licensed under\u00a0CC BY.<\/a><\/td>\n
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While all forms of open access (OA) fall broadly into either the green or gold classification, there are additional, nuanced, forms of OA which are used to highlight distinguishing features among the varieties. Because these terms are also often used to describe OA, it is worth understanding their unique features.<\/p>\n

Platinum or Diamond Open Access<\/h2>\n

Platinum OA<\/a> gets its name from its association with gold OA, as it is seen as a premier or superior form. The distinguishing characteristic of platinum OA is that articles are published OA immediately in OA journals but there are no article processing charges (APCs) back to the author. As discussed previously, APCs are a common characteristic of gold OA, yet it is not true that all or even most OA journals charge these fees<\/a>. Many gold OA journals rely on institutional support, grants, memberships etc. to fund their publication and as a result do not ask their authors to contribute any additional funds. It is because these journals do not charge back any costs to authors that they are granted the platinum distinction.<\/p>\n

Hybrid Open Access<\/h2>\n

Hybrid OA is used to describe a journal that publishes both gold OA and traditional subscription-based research. These journals present their authors with the choice to either pay an APC and have their work disseminated as OA, or to submit it as a non-OA article. Hybrid journals are a contentious issue among OA advocates, as they largely reinforce the supremacy of traditional publication venues and often provide an additional revenue stream to already profitable journals. Hybrid journals also tend to have substantial APC charges, with the more prestigious journals charging the highest fees. Notably, academic libraries take issue with hybrid journals as they charge authors to make a subsection of their articles OA, but still require libraries to pay undiscounted subscription fees to access the additional pay-walled content. As a result, hybrid journals are often accused of \u201cdouble dipping\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bronze Open Access<\/h2>\n

Bronze OA<\/a> refers to scholarship that may be publicly available online but does not include clear reuse permission. Because of this lack of clarity, bronze is used to confer its inferior status in relation to gold or platinum OA literature, which is clearly marked for reuse. Whether or not bronze OA meets funder requirements or other OA polices is dependent on individual polices. According to a 2018 study<\/a>, Bronze OA, while little talked about, may be the most prevalent form of OA in practice. As mentioned earlier in this section, bronze OA is also called\u00a0gratis<\/em>\u00a0OA.<\/p>\n

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Dig Deeper<\/h5>\n

To learn more about the challenges of hybrid OA, review:<\/p>\n

Matthias, Lisa. (2018). The worst of both worlds: Hybrid Open Access<\/a>. Licensed under\u00a0CC BY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kingsley, Danny and Philip Boyes. (2016).\u00a0Hybrid open access \u2013 an analysis<\/a>. Licensed under\u00a0CC BY.<\/a><\/td>\n

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