Open access at ETH Zurich

Open access guarantees everyone access to scientific information and helps break down barriers to its subsequent use. Unlimited and free of charge. ETH Zurich publishes much of the research results of its scientists online. This benefits the authors, society and the academic community.

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Advantages for authors

  • Improved search engine ranking increases visibility
  • Greater visibility increases citation frequency
  • The author retains the copyright

Advantages for the academic community

  • Unlimited, free access to full-text research articles and reports 
  • Easier re-use of research results 
  • Interdisciplinary and international cooperation is simplified

You can find more reasons for, and some reasons against, open access to scientific information on the external page Open Access information platform.

ETH Zurich’s open-access policy

The revised open-access policy has been in effect since 1 February 2018. It encourages all ETH Zurich scientists to publish their research results on open-access channels. ETH Zurich obligates its researchers to take the Green Road and encourages them to take the Gold Road.

The Green Road involves the self-archiving of scientific publications on an institutional or subject-specific repository. ETH Zurich’s institutional repository is the Research Collection.

The Gold Road for open-access publication involves initial publication of an article with an open-access publisher. The ETH Library offers ETH Zurich scientists the option to publish in open-access journals for free or at a discount.

The ETH Library as a centre of expertise

The ETH Library is happy to answer ETH Zurich scientists’ questions regarding open access and help them publish their results if they so choose. Furthermore, it runs the Research Collection, negotiates with publishers and monitors the degree to which open access is implemented at ETH Zurich.  


E-Publishing Office
  • +41 44 632 72 22
Andrea Moritz
Portrait Andrea Moritz
Marius Stricker
Marius Stricker

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