Part II: Source, Include, &  Search: How Atla Delivers Open Access Content to Users 

In working to deliver the discovery, fulfillment, and stability benefits of open access content to our publishers, researchers, and scholars, Atla maintains high standards for sourcing, including, and delivering this content through our research tools, Atla Religion Database^® (Atla RDB^®), AtlaSerials^® (Atlas^®), and AtlaSerials PLUS^® (Atlas PLUS^®).

Here’s how we do it:

Sourcing Open Access Content

Inbound

Our production and licensing teams consistently receive recommendations for content evaluation from Atla members, open access journal editors, open access journal subscribers, and other scholars. Additionally, many of our current commercial publishing partners have increasingly sent requests for Atla to review their open access journals for inclusion, as they have been continuing to expand their own journal lists to include more open access content. Still, there remain many open access journals that do not have a publishing partner to alert them to the opportunity to be considered and included in our research tools. This is where our outbound acquisition efforts come into play.

Outbound

There are several ways that our team works to supplement the inbound recommendations we receive for open access journals. On a regular basis, the Atla Production Department conducts a review of the Directory of Open Access Journals’ (DOAJ) religion section to see if there are any viable prospects for our internal evaluation process. While at conferences and events, the Atla leadership team keeps their ears to the ground for new open access journals being presented or discussed. Additionally, our in-house team of metadata analysts and editors also often suggest journals they come across in their own scholarly research and work. As soon as the Atla team learns about prospective open access journals, we are proactive about vetting and considering them for inclusion in our research tools.

Including Open Access Content

Just as with all other licensed content included in our research tools, open access content up for consideration is first vetted through our internal review process. As an initial step in this process, our team checks the Directory of Open Access Journals to ensure the journal publishes high-quality scholarship. Next, our team takes inventory of our current holdings to determine if the journal’s subject matter would fill a content gap. Finally, since our research tools are academic in nature, our team reviews the journal’s peer-review process and confirms the existence of its editorial board. If an open access journal passes this internal review process, our team begins indexing the title in Atla Religion Database, and if possible, will later pursue a license agreement for inclusion in our full-text tools, Atlas and Atlas PLUS.

How to Search for Open Access Content in EBSCOhost

Once logged into EBSCOhost, the platform that hosts Atla’s research tools, it is very simple to search specifically for open access content. Once you have selected your database, on the main search page there is a section labeled “Limit Your Results” with a checkbox for Open Access.

Additionally, if you’ve already searched on your keyword(s), there is a checkbox for Open Access under the section labeled “Limit to” on the left-hand side of the results page.

How to Find Specific Open Access Titles in Atla’s Offerings

If you are looking for specific open access titles in Atla Religion Database, Atlas, or Atlas PLUS, or you simply want to peruse the full list, you can review our title lists. Once you’ve downloaded the Excel sheet for your desired database, you can filter on Genre, selecting “Open Access.” If you want to double-check that the titles you are viewing are currently being indexed, you can filter on Currently_Indexed, selecting “Current.”

By the Numbers

Atla currently has the following number of open access titles in our research tools:

• Atla Religion Database: 345+ open access titles
• Atlas: 35+ open access titles
• Atlas PLUS: 50+ open access titles

If you have open access journals that you would like to recommend for inclusion in our research tools, get in touch with us.