[TheOtherHobbes]

I recently tried to access an Open Access paper.

Apparently it's only open to users with university library access. Otherwise you have to pay for it.

I emailed the author directly and he sent me a PDF.

[Vinnl]

I don't think that's Open Access under any definition of Open Access.

[upvotinglurker]

Correct. The publisher in this case may have been misrepresenting a paid-access journal as open access, or the journal may have offered open access only to certain articles and presented this policy in a confusing way. I have certainly seen the latter before.

[chestervonwinch]

I see. So rather than providing open access papers in the sense of the common understanding of the term, they're providing them in a "free drink with purchase of two entrées" sense.