Annex C: Definition of Open Access Publishing
C1. Definition
Open Access Publishing in the Nigerian context refers to the institutionally governed creation, dissemination, preservation, and discovery of scholarly outputs, made openly available for use, reuse, and verification in the public interest. It encompasses:
- scholarly books and monographs,
- peer-reviewed journals and articles,
- research data and software,
- preprints, theses, reports, and other research outputs.
Open Access Publishing is a scholarly function, not a format, platform, or business model.
C2. Core Characteristics
Open Access Publishing in Nigeria is characterised by:
- Openness – access without financial barriers to readers;
- Institutional stewardship – governance by public or academic institutions;
- Quality and integrity – adherence to recognised editorial and ethical standards;
- Sustainability – reliance on shared infrastructure and public investment rather than author fees;
- Persistence and trust – long-term access ensured through repositories, preservation systems, and persistent identifiers.
C3. Relationship to Open Science
Open Access Publishing is a foundational component of Open Science. It enables transparency, reproducibility, equity, and societal impact, and supports responsible research assessment by valuing openness, quality, and contribution over venue prestige.
C4. National Orientation
Nigeria adopts a Diamond Open Access-first orientation, prioritising models that:
- avoid exclusion based on authors’ ability to pay;
- strengthen national scholarly infrastructure;
- retain public control over publicly funded knowledge.
Open Access Publishing is recognised as core national research infrastructure, essential to the quality, resilience, and sovereignty of Nigeria’s knowledge system.