Open Access Servers

Open access servers can be archived with electronic versions of

• unpublished papers
• papers not yet published, but intended or submitted for publication
• papers published in journals but not accessible for those who are not subscribers (postprints): In most case this is the author's final version which can be archived, not the journal's pdf.

Although servers (or repositories) are scattered across the Internet, they can be searched from a single point, since common rules (OAI) for describing their content make a common indexing feasible. More on Search engines.

Below are some examples of centralized open archives in sciences. See also the Directory of Open Repository DOAR or the Registry of Open Access Repositories, ROAR, for an overview.