FAQs

These FAQs are part of the Open Access Directory.


 * This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the OAD.
 * Like the other OAD pages, it's a living page. We'll update it as needed to respond to the main questions we hear about the OAD.

=Start with the OAD=

How do I get an account?
Creating an OAD account is free and easy. Just go to the top right corner of the front page and click on the Request account button.

A tutorial “how to create an OAD account” is also available (requires flash player).

Unfortunately, you cannot contribute to the OAD without an account.

How do I start editing?
See our page on getting started as an OAD contributor. You can also watch the tutorial “how to edit content at the OAD”.

I found a dead link in the OAD. Whom should I contact to change it?
The OAD is a crowd-sourced volunteer project and depends on the community to keep its lists accurate and comprehensive. When you notice dead links, we encourage you to fix them yourself.

Whom should I contact to add new content in the OAD?
The OAD is a crowd-sourced volunteer project, and depends on the community to keep its lists accurate and comprehensive. When you notice omissions, we encourage you to fix them yourself.

Note that unlike Wikipedia, OAD has no rules about conflicts of interest. Don’t hesitate to add your own organization to a relevant list. Don’t hold back just because you’re associated with the organization.

How do I propose a new list?
To propose a new list, just edit our list of proposed lists.

The editors review and discuss these proposals. Some proposals don’t meet OAD criteria, such as avoiding duplication of lists previously launched and well-maintained elsewhere. Sometimes several related proposals should be combined. Please do not create new lists without working or consulting with the OAD editors.

Why was my article removed from the OAD?
OAD only includes factual lists, not articles, narratives, or opinions. For more details, see the editorial policy.

=About the OAD=

What is the scope of the OAD?
OAD consists of simple factual lists about open access to science and scholarship. It does not include articles, narratives, opinions, or graphics. For more detail, see our editorial policy.

Why is the OAD limited to simple factual lists?
There are three reasons: (1) to avoid or minimize edit wars, (2) to make contribution easy for users who have a relevant new item for a list, and no time to weave it into a narrative, and (3) to help users take OAD as authoritative reference work, and not merely a collection of interpretations and opinions.

Why does the OAD limit editing to registered users, unlike Wikipedia?
We had to adopt this policy to reduce spam and harmful edits. Wikipedia has enough users to detect and correct these problems, but we don’t. Perhaps one day we will. In addition, we often want to contact contributors with follow-up questions about their entries.

OAD administrators will use your login information only to solve technical problems or contact you about about your contributions. We will only share private information with your permission or as required by law.

Will OAD editors control my content?
Our goal is for the OA community itself to enlarge and improve the lists with little intervention from our editors or editorial board. The OAD editors and editorial board will only ensure that the content complies with the editorial policy.

=Community=

How can I follow news about the OAD?
Read or follow our Twitter feed.

How can I help the cause?
To help the OAD you can enlarge and improve any of the lists; cite them in your work; link to them in discussions; help recruit new contributors; and propose new lists.

Also see the OAD list of volunteer opportunities. Some (but not all) of these opportunities are about OAD itself.

How do I contact the editors?
Please drop us an [mailto:oadcontact@gmail.com email].

=Technical=

I forgot my username. How can I retrieve it?
Unfortunately we cannot help with forgotten usernames. The best solution is to create a new OAD account.

Why couldn't I edit an OAD page?
Editing privileges are limited to registered users. See the editorial policy.

Users may only edit pages that have an Edit tab. Pages without an Edit tab may be edited only by administrators.

OAD uses the same wiki software as Wikipedia. For editing instructions, therefore, see the instructions at Wikipedia.

Can I upload images and other documents?
The OAD does not include an upload feature because we focus on simple factual lists and want to maintain ‘light’ web pages that can be accessed even by users with very slow internet connections.

How do I search the OAD content?
To search the OAD, use the search box located on the top right hand side of the screen.