Open Access and Diamond Publishing Policy

Journal: Open Access Cases (OAC)
Publisher: Association of Open Access Cases
Policy status: Effective upon publication

1. Purpose and Scope

Open Access Cases (OAC) is committed to disseminating scholarly and educational case studies through an open, accessible, and financially transparent publishing model. This policy defines the journal's approach to Diamond Open Access publishing, including reader access, author charges, copyright and licensing, financial sustainability, and the principles governing editorial independence.

This policy applies to all articles and other scholarly content published by OAC, subject to any explicitly stated restrictions applicable to particular content types, including supplementary teaching materials.

2. Diamond Open Access Commitment

OAC follows a Diamond Open Access publishing model. Under this model, the journal provides immediate access to its published scholarly content without charging readers for access or authors for submitting and publishing their work.

The journal's Diamond Open Access commitment is based on the following principles:

  • Free access for readers: Published articles are available online without subscription fees, paywalls, or mandatory access payments.

  • No author publication charges: OAC does not charge article processing charges (APCs), submission fees, or mandatory publication fees for articles covered by this policy.

  • No financial barrier to submission: Editorial consideration and publication decisions are not conditional on an author's ability to pay.

  • Equitable participation: The journal seeks to enable contributions from authors and institutions regardless of their financial resources or geographic location.

  • Editorial independence: Publication decisions are based on editorial and scholarly considerations, not an author's ability to pay, institutional affiliation, or financial contribution to the journal.

3. Reader Access and Availability

OAC makes its published articles openly available on its website upon publication, without a subscription or embargo period, subject to the applicable copyright and licensing terms.

Readers may access, read, download, and share published content in accordance with the licence displayed on the relevant article. Any permitted reuse must comply with the applicable licence and must respect the rights associated with third-party material.

Where the journal makes certain supplementary materials, including teaching notes, available only to verified instructors or other eligible users, those restrictions will be communicated separately. Such access arrangements do not alter the journal's commitment to providing open access to the scholarly articles themselves.

4. Author Charges and Publication Fees

OAC does not levy article processing charges, submission fees, or mandatory publication fees for articles covered by its Diamond Open Access model.

Authors are not required to purchase editorial services, pay for peer review, contribute to journal operating expenses, or obtain paid services from the publisher as a condition of editorial consideration or publication.

The absence of publication fees applies regardless of whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected. Editorial decisions are made independently of financial considerations.

Any exceptional charge that may apply to a separately offered service or a distinct content category must be disclosed clearly in advance, including its purpose and terms. No such charge will be represented as a mandatory condition of ordinary article submission or publication under the journal's Diamond Open Access model.

5. Copyright and Licensing

Copyright ownership and reuse permissions are governed by the copyright and licensing terms specified on the journal's website and on the relevant published article.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, OAC publishes its articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Under this licence, users may share the licensed material provided that they give appropriate attribution, do not use it for commercial purposes, and do not distribute modified material. Additional conditions and legal details are available in the official licence text.

Authors should ensure that they have the necessary rights and permissions for any third-party material included in their manuscripts. Material that is not covered by the article's licence must be identified appropriately, and its reuse remains subject to the applicable rights and permissions.

The journal's copyright and licensing policy provides further information about copyright ownership, author rights, third-party material, and reuse requests.

6. Author Rights and Repository Sharing

OAC supports the dissemination of scholarly work through institutional repositories, subject repositories, and other lawful scholarly communication channels, subject to the applicable copyright, licensing, and self-archiving policies.

Authors and other users should consult the journal's Self-Archiving and Repository Policy and Preprint Policy for the rules applicable to manuscript versions, pre-publication deposits, and sharing of the published version.

Where a published article is distributed under a Creative Commons licence, reuse of that article is governed by the terms of the applicable licence. Separate rights may apply to third-party material included in the article.

7. Financial Sustainability and Transparency

Diamond Open Access publishing requires a sustainable funding and operational model that does not depend on charging authors for ordinary publication.

OAC may support its publishing activities through institutional resources, grants, donations, sponsorships, partnerships, or other lawful sources of financial or in-kind support, as applicable.

Any funding or sponsorship arrangements must be managed in a manner that safeguards editorial independence. Financial contributors, sponsors, and other external parties must not determine the acceptance, rejection, review outcome, or scholarly conclusions of individual manuscripts.

Where relevant, sources of financial support and material relationships will be disclosed in accordance with the journal's funding, conflicts of interest, and transparency policies.

8. Editorial Independence and Equal Treatment

OAC's open access model is independent of the editorial evaluation of manuscripts. All submissions are assessed according to the journal's scope, editorial standards, publication ethics requirements, and applicable peer review procedures.

An author's financial circumstances, institutional resources, geographic location, or inability to purchase optional services must not adversely affect editorial consideration.

Editors, reviewers, and other individuals involved in publication decisions must disclose and appropriately manage conflicts of interest. Manuscripts authored by editors or individuals affiliated with the publisher must be handled in accordance with the journal's Editor-Authored Manuscripts and Editorial Independence Policy.

9. Digital Availability and Preservation

OAC seeks to maintain the long-term accessibility and integrity of its published scholarly record. The journal's preservation arrangements, repository relationships, and procedures for safeguarding published content are described in its Digital Preservation and Archiving Policy.

Open access availability does not remove the journal's responsibility to maintain accurate publication records and to issue appropriate corrections, retractions, or other notices when necessary.

10. Policy Compliance and Review

The publisher and editorial team are responsible for implementing this policy within their respective areas of responsibility.

Questions or complaints concerning access restrictions, publication charges, licensing, or compliance with this policy may be submitted through the journal's designated contact channel. Complaints concerning editorial decisions or alleged breaches of publication ethics will be handled under the relevant journal policies.

OAC will review this policy periodically and update it when necessary to reflect changes in its publishing practices, licensing arrangements, or applicable standards for Diamond Open Access publishing. Material changes will be communicated through the journal's website.

11. Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside the following OAC policies:

  • Copyright and Licensing Policy

  • Self-Archiving and Repository Policy

  • Preprint Policy

  • Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy

  • Peer Review Policy

  • Conflicts of Interest Policy

  • Editor-Authored Manuscripts and Editorial Independence Policy

  • Digital Preservation and Archiving Policy

  • Funding and Financial Transparency Policy

Policy owner: Association of Open Access Cases
Review responsibility: Publisher and editorial leadership
Effective date: 1 January 2024
Last reviewed: 17 October 2026