Finding out more: where can I get more information on open access?

There are plenty of ways to learn more about open access. See our suggestions below.

Background information

The Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) was published in 2002. It includes recommendations on how to publish open access as well as a definition that has since become widely accepted:

"By “open access” to [peer-reviewed research literature], we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, should be to give authors control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited."

The initiative has since evolved into an organisation. Its website explains the background to the BOAI and lists the initiative’s signatories.

German and international research organisations came together in 2003 to sign the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. On the German side, signatories included the German Research Foundation, the German Science and Humanities Council, the German Library Association and the German Rectors’ Conference, plus major research bodies such as the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, the Leibniz Association and the Max Planck Society.

Further information

The open-access.network information portal provides more details on the topics covered in these FAQs, for example on “Subject-Specific Open Access” . It also offers additional services such as the oa.helpdesk, networking opportunities such as the Digital Focus Groups, training events such as oa.talk, plus an events calendar. The oa.blog reports on new developments and showcases projects. The platform caters to a range of stakeholders across the research community.

In 2025, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) published a revised version of the Open Access Vocabulary, which defines key open access terms, including references to relevant sources.

Conferences

Detailed discussions on open access and its practical implementation take place at various specialist conferences. In addition to the Open Access Days (Open-Access-Tage), the main annual conference in this field, the German Library Congress and BiblioCon also includes numerous sessions on open access each year. These conferences are aimed primarily at audiences from the library and publishing sectors in the German-speaking world. International conferences that also address the topic of open access on a regular basis include the LIBER Annual Conference and the IFLA World Library and Information Congress.

International Open Access Week

International Open Access Week takes place each autumn. During this internationally oriented week of action, many academic libraries organise events and activities to raise researchers’ awareness of the topic. You can generally find out whether your institution is taking part by checking its newsletters or website.

Disclaimer

Important note: The information and links provided here do not represent any form of binding legal advice. They are solely intended to provide an initial basis to help get you on the right track. ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences has carefully checked the information included in the list of FAQs. However, we are unable to accept any liability whatsoever for any errors it may contain. Unless indicated otherwise, any statements concerning individual statutory norms or regulations refer to German law (FAQ updated 06/2026).