Open Access
Open access makes research freely available to everyone, helping to advance knowledge, equity, and the public good.
What is open access?
At MRU, open access is part of our commitment to sharing knowledge responsibly — supporting scholars, students, and communities to access and build on research.
For a publication, resource, or initiative to be considered open access, it must be free of
- price barriers such as paywalls, subscription costs to end users, or other charges or fees that require paid access to the materials; and
- overly restrictive copyright or licenses that severely limit sharing or (re)distribution of the materials.
Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) provides a great overview.
Who owns knowledge?
Open access isn’t just about free access to articles — it’s about ensuring that the knowledge we produce can be read, reused, and built upon. When research is openly shared, it supports innovation, education, and informed decision-making across communities.
At MRU, open access also means helping researchers retain control over their work, make ethical choices about how it’s shared, and keep the benefits of research aligned with the common good.
Open access at MRU
The University Library actively supports open access publishing and related initiatives, including:
Open Publishing
Supporting MRU authors in publishing their work openly and responsibly, with guidance on publishing and funding options, APC waivers, and the Open Access Fund.
Open Repository (MROAR)
Ensuring long-term, equitable access to MRU scholarship through self-archiving and preservation.
Open Data
Helping scholars share and manage data in ways that are transparent, ethical, and aligned with FAIR and CARE principles. Explore Borealis, the MRU Data Repository, to deposit or access research data directly.
Open Education
Supporting the creation, adoption, and sharing of Open Educational Resources (OER) and promotes open teaching practices.
Open Journal System
Hosting MRU-led journals that model scholar-owned, community-driven publishing.
Open Access Databases
Curating a collection of freely available academic databases offering access to journals, articles, and other scholarly sources.
Library position statement on open access: In 2014 the Library Faculty Council affirmed the Library's committment to open acccess with this position statement.