Spring Journals is committed to the principle that scholarly research should be freely and universally accessible. We adopt internationally recognised open access publishing practices to democratise knowledge, foster global collaboration, and accelerate scientific discovery. This policy outlines our commitment to open access, the types of open access we support, and the rights and responsibilities of authors and readers.
Open access (OA) is the provision of unrestricted online access to scholarly works—including research articles, reviews, and other academic outputs—without financial, legal, or technical barriers. OA enables any individual, anywhere in the world, to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of published works, provided proper attribution is given to the original author(s) and source.
Gold Open Access
All articles are made immediately and permanently available on the Spring Journals platform upon publication. The final published version is freely accessible to all users without subscription or access fees. Publication costs are typically covered through Article Processing Charges (APCs), paid by authors, their institutions, or funding bodies.
Hybrid Open Access (Where Applicable)
Some titles may operate under a hybrid model, offering authors the choice to publish open access within an otherwise subscription-based journal by paying an APC.
Green Open Access
Authors are permitted to deposit the accepted manuscript (post-peer review, pre-typesetting) in institutional or subject repositories, in line with our self-archiving policy and any applicable embargo periods.
Increased Accessibility – Research is freely available to a global audience, including researchers, students, practitioners, and policymakers.
Accelerated Scientific Progress – Open availability allows other scholars to build upon existing findings, fostering innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Enhanced Visibility and Impact – OA publications typically receive higher readership and citation rates compared to subscription-only works.
Long-Term Preservation – Articles are archived in trusted digital repositories to ensure permanent access.
Public Engagement – Policymakers, educators, and industry professionals can apply research findings directly, supporting evidence-based decision-making.
Author Consent & Withdrawal
Once the peer-review process is complete and the author has agreed to pay the APC, withdrawal after acceptance will incur a charge of 30% of the agreed publication fee to cover editorial and processing costs already incurred.
Funder Compliance
We comply with funder mandates (e.g., Plan S, NIH, Horizon Europe) requiring research to be made openly accessible. Authors should indicate any funder OA requirements during submission.
Institutional Policies
We support institutional open access mandates, including the deposit of accepted manuscripts in repositories, provided proper citation and DOI linking to the published version are maintained.
Government and International Initiatives
We align with national and international efforts to ensure that publicly funded research outputs are freely available to all citizens, promoting transparency and global knowledge exchange.
Author Rights
Authors retain copyright to their works. Upon publication, authors grant Spring Journals a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute the article.
Licensing Terms
All articles are published under a Creative Commons licence (preferably CC BY 4.0) unless otherwise specified. This permits sharing, adaptation, and commercial use of the work, provided appropriate credit is given to the authors and original source.
Third-Party Content
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reuse any third-party materials included in their manuscripts.
Spring Journals fully embraces the Gold Open Access model to provide immediate, unrestricted access to scholarly content. By removing barriers for readers while ensuring robust copyright protections for authors, we aim to:
Promote transparency in research.
Maximise the reach and impact of scholarly work.
Support equitable participation in the global exchange of knowledge.
Through this policy, we reaffirm our dedication to high-quality, ethical, and accessible publishing practices in line with the highest international standards.