1. Open Access and Subscription

2. Open Access
Open access = free to read + free to share + free to re-use (possibly some limitations)
Some form of CC license (CC, CCBY, CCNC, etc.)
Publication costs usually covered via an APC (Article Processing Charge) - can be very high, but occasionally waived or discounted
May have very broad scope (“mega journal”)
OA papers are free to read, but not all free papers are OA.
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3. Subscription journals
Some or all papers only accessible with a subscription
Not licenced for reuse – need permission from the publisher
Publication costs paid by subscription fees (smaller or no charge – “page charges")
Usually more selective/narrower scope
“Traditional” journal model
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4. Both need some way of being funded
Both can be for profit or not for profit
Both can have free content
Both can have author fees
Both can publish good research
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@BritishEcolSoc

5. BES journals (subscription)
No mandatory charges (Data Archiving costs also sponsored through Dryad)
Subscription needed to access the most recent papers (but some paper types (Reviews, Forum papers, etc.) are always free to read and all papers free to read after 2 years)
Selects papers for novelty and strong contribution to the broader field of ecology
Hybrid – individual papers can be OA, but most are subscription
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@BritishEcolSoc

6. Ecology & Evolution (OA)
Article Processing Charge: $1,950/£1,295/€1,530 + VAT (various discounts/waivers available)
No subscription needed to read any papers
CC-BY license - users can copy, distribute and transmit an article, adapt the article and make commercial and non-commercial re-use of an open access article. Author must be properly attributed.
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@BritishEcolSoc

7. Gold vs Green OA
Gold OA
Full Open Access (free to access and re-use), APCs apply
Green OA
Authors can self-archive subscription article after a certain embargo period. Free to access, but not free to re-use.
Many journals allow pre-print archiving (original, un-reviewed submission) at any point, but require a 12-month embargo to archive the As Accepted version (reviewed, revised, accepted but not typeset/proofed). Always check!
“Version of record” is the edited, typeset and proofed version.
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@BritishEcolSoc