Open Access Policy

Journal Information

Contents

Open Access Policy

Social Work Reviews is committed to the principles of open access publishing and the free dissemination of knowledge. The journal believes that access to scholarly research is a fundamental component of academic advancement, professional practice, and social development. By adopting an open access model, Social Work Reviews seeks to ensure that high-quality social work research is freely available to readers worldwide, without financial, legal, or technical barriers.

What Open Access Means at Social Work Reviews

All articles published in Social Work Reviews are made immediately and permanently available online upon publication. Readers may access, read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles without requiring subscription fees or registration.

The journal follows the core principles of open access as defined by the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), promoting unrestricted access to peer-reviewed research while respecting author rights and intellectual property.

Benefits of Open Access

Open access publishing in Social Work Reviews offers several important benefits:

  • Global Accessibility: Research is accessible to scholars, practitioners, students, policymakers, and community organizations across all regions, including low- and middle-income countries.
  • Increased Visibility and Impact: Open access articles are more widely read, shared, and cited, enhancing the reach and influence of authors’ work.
  • Knowledge Sharing for Practice and Policy: Practitioners and decision-makers can apply research findings directly to practice and policy without access restrictions.
  • Equity in Knowledge Production: Open access supports inclusive knowledge exchange by reducing barriers for readers and institutions with limited resources.

Copyright and Author Rights

Authors publishing in Social Work Reviews retain the copyright to their work. By submitting and publishing with the journal, authors grant Social Work Reviews the right to publish and disseminate the article as the original publisher.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to share their published work in institutional repositories, personal websites, and academic networking platforms, provided that proper citation to the original publication in Social Work Reviews is included.

Licensing

To support open and responsible reuse of published content, Social Work Reviews publishes articles under a Creative Commons license. Unless otherwise stated, articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows users to share and adapt the work for any purpose, including commercial use, provided appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the journal.

Other Creative Commons licenses may be applied in specific cases, subject to editorial approval and author agreement.

Peer Review and Quality Assurance

Open access does not compromise academic quality. All manuscripts submitted to Social Work Reviews undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review process conducted by qualified reviewers. Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, relevance, and ethical standards, independent of authors’ ability to pay publication fees.

Archiving and Long-Term Access

Social Work Reviews is committed to the long-term preservation of published content. The journal supports digital archiving through recognized repositories and indexing services to ensure permanent access and scholarly record integrity.

Ethical Commitment

The open access policy of Social Work Reviews aligns with the journal’s broader commitment to social justice, equity, and the public good. By removing access barriers to knowledge, the journal contributes to informed practice, inclusive scholarship, and global social development.