Because of the costs of creating and publishing research, many scholarly resources (such as journals) require a paid subscription to access.
Open access is the practice by which research is distributed free of cost or other access barriers. There has been a ongoing trend of making research materials open access. Although most scholarly journals still exist behind a pay-wall, many have become open access.
Open access research publications can vary greatly regarding their credibility and the strength of the research they publish. It is the intention that the list below include only true peer-reviewed, credible, and open-access publications. That said, the publications below are not necessarily among the best research publications in their field, but rather the best open-access research publications in that field.
Want to learn more about how you can evaluate scientific resources? Take a look at the WSU Extensions' publication Scientific Literacy for the Citizen Scientist.
Open Access Databases and Resources
Google Scholar - Journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings and more from across many disciplines. Not all resources are open-access but many are.
Directory of Open Access Journals - Provides a comprehensive list of open access, peer reviewed, journals. Journals can be sorted by discipline.
SJR List of Open Access Journals - SCImago Journal Rank lists scholarly journals across disciplines. The list allows you to filter results by discipline and to search for only open access journals. Clicking on the journal name will provide a link to the journal website.
The journals listed below are among the top open access journals in their fields.
California agriculture - Open access from 1946.
Horticulture research - Open access from 2014.
Scientia agricola - Open access from 1992.
Sustainability - Open access from 2009.
Animal Sciences
Animals - Open access from 2011.
Genetics selection evolution - Open access from 1989.
Journal of animal science and biotechnology - Open access from 2012.
Journal of applied animal research - Open access from 2016.
Crop & Soil Sciences
Crop breeding and applied biotechnology - Open access from 2001.
Plant production science - Open access from 2003.
Entomology and Pest Management
Insects - Open access from 2011.
Journal of insect science - Open access from 2001.
Journal of integrated pest management - Open access from 2010.
Ecology & Forestry
Biogeosciences - Open access from 2004.
Ecology and evolution - Open access from 2011.
Ecology and society - Open access from 2004.
Ecosphere - Open access from 2010.
Environmental research letters - Open access from 2006.
Fire ecology - Open access from 2005.
Forest ecosystems - Open access from 2014.
Forests - Open access from 2010.
iForest-Biogeosciences and forestry - Open access from 2008.
Wildlife biology - Open access from 2014.
Food Sciences
Food and agricultural immunology - Open access from 2017.
Food and nutrition research - Open access from 2008.
Food science & nutrition - Open access from 2012.
Foods - Open access from 2013.
International journal of food properties - Open access from 2018.
Toxins - Open access from 2009.
Oceanography & Water Resources
Aquaculture environment interactions - Open access from 2010.
Aquatic biology - Open access from 2014.
Aquatic invasions - Open access from 2006.
Fishery bulletin - Open access from 1881.
Frontiers in marine science - Open access from 2014.
Hydrology and Earth system sciences - Open access from 1997.
Marine and coastal fisheries - Open access from 2009.
Water - Open access from 2009.
Plant Sciences
BMC plant biology - Open access from 2001.
Botanical studies - Open access from 2006.
Frontiers in plant science - Open access from 2010.
Journal of plant interactions - Open access from 2015.
Plant biotechnology journal - Open access from 2016.
Plant genome - Open access from 2008.
Plant methods - Open access from 2011.
Wine & Viticulture
International journal of wine research - Open access from 2011.
OENO one - Open access from 1968.
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