Q. What is an open access journal and is it okay to use in academic research?

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), is a website that provides a "one stop shop for users to Open Access Journals," and defines open access journals as "journals that use a funding model that does not charge readers or their institutions for access." They are free to users, with the publishers or authors paying publishing fees.

Since DOAJ only includes peer-reviewed journals on its site, yes, open access journals may be used like any peer-reviewed journal for academic research.

For more information about Open Access, visit Cornell University Library's Open Access page.