Africa Online & Publications Library (AOPL) is committed to expanding access to scholarly knowledge across Africa and the Global South. We operate a freemium open access model, which ensures that core research content remains freely accessible to all, while offering optional premium services and features to support sustainability and platform development.

1. Our Open Access Commitment

We believe that access to knowledge is a public good and that is why we provide the following services:

• Free access to peer-reviewed research articles, policy briefs and educational resources
• No paywalls for reading, downloading or sharing standard article content
• Optional premium services for enhanced visibility, formatting or editorial support

This model allows us to maintain open access while offering value-added services to authors and institutions that choose to support our mission.

2. What Is Freemium Open Access?

Under the freemium model:

• Readers can access, download and share all standard articles at no cost
• Authors can publish without mandatory article processing charges (APCs), but may opt for premium services
• Institutions may subscribe to additional tools, analytics or repository integrations

Premium services are entirely optional and do not affect editorial decisions or peer review outcomes.

3. Licensing and Copyright

All open access content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise stated. This license allows:

• Sharing and redistribution in any medium or format
• Adaptation and reuse for any purpose, including commercial
• Proper attribution to the original author(s) and source

Authors retain full copyright and grant AOPL a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute their work.

Author Copyright Agreement

4. Premium Services (Optional)

To support platform sustainability and author needs, we offer optional services such as:

• Professional language editing and formatting
• Priority peer review and fast-track publication
• Enhanced article promotion and indexing support
• Institutional repository integration and analytics dashboards

These services are clearly listed and priced on our Author Services page. Authors are never required to purchase premium services to publish.

5. Submission and Processing Fees

• No submission fees for standard peer-reviewed articles
• No mandatory APCs for accepted manuscripts
• Optional service fees apply only to premium features, which are transparently disclosed

We are committed to financial transparency and do not allow fees to influence editorial decisions.

6. Archiving and Preservation

All published content is digitally archived and preserved through secure repositories. We are working toward integration with:

• LOCKSS
• PKP Preservation Network
• Internet Archive
• Institutional repositories and African open access platforms

7. Indexing and Discoverability

Our journals are in the process of being indexed in:

• Google Scholar
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• African Journals Online (AJOL)
• Crossref for DOI assignment

We support OAI-PMH for metadata harvesting and interoperability.

8. Compliance with Funder Mandates

Our open access policy complies with the requirements of major research funders, including:

• Wellcome Trust
• European Commission (Horizon Europe)
• National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF)

Authors are encouraged to include grant information during submission and deposit their work in institutional repositories.

9. Self-Archiving and Sharing

Authors are encouraged to:

• Deposit the final published version in institutional or subject repositories
• Share their work on academic platforms (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu)
• Include links to their articles on personal websites and CVs

No embargo period applies.

10. Contact and Support

For questions about our open access model or to request premium services, please contact – info@africaopl.org