Open Access (OA) refers to free, unrestricted online access to scholarly materials.

Open Access enables the communication of research across boundaries of national borders and publication systems. Equal access to government funded, high quality research is a key principle of removing geographical, socio-economic and publisher barriers to credible information.

The Australian National University, through its Open Research repository collects, maintains, preserves, promotes and disseminates its open access scholarly materials. You can search the collection of scholarly outputs of the University's academic community as well as digitised material of national and international significance from the University's special and rare collections.

You can also browse the ANU Press collection. ANU Press is a globally recognised leader in open-access academic publishing. They produce fully peer-reviewed monographs and journals across a wide range of subject areas, with a special focus on Australian and international policy, Indigenous studies and the Asia-Pacific region.

You can learn more about Open Access in the ANU Library's self-paced module, Scholarly communications 101.

Open Educational Resources - OERs - are educational materials that are available under an open license. This means you can freely use, adapt and distribute these resources.

Read our guide for information on how to find and use OERs.

ANU Open Research provides access to the scholarly outputs of the University, including theses, book chapters, articles and conference papers, as well as non traditional outputs such as posters and images.

How do I find and access Open Research content?

You can perform a simple keyword search for content using the search box found on the homepage. You may combine your search terms using Boolean Operators, along with wildcards and truncators. The advanced search function allows you to add filters to refine your search results prior to commencing your search.

You may also browse for content by Issue Date, Author, Title, Subject and/or Type.

When browsing search results, click on the item's title to access the full record.

In many cases, search results can be accessed in full text format, where available. Simply click on the Download (PDF) link in the upper right-hand corner of each item record.

For other items, however, you may find a link to the published version, as shown below. Alternately, for some items, you may need to Request a Copy of the content, using a simple web form. Your request will then be actioned by Open Research staff, who will advise you as to whether the item is available. Please note, some materials are embargoed, meaning access may be restricted, and Open Research staff can provide more information in relation to specific items.