Do Open Access mandates undermine my academic freedom?

The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines academic freedom as "the freedom of teachers and students to teach, study, and pursue knowledge and research without unreasonable interference or restriction from law, institutional regulations, or public pressure. Its basic elements include the freedom to study any topic that arouses intellectual interest, to present findings to students, colleagues, and others, to publish data and conclusions without control or censorship, and to teach in the manner one considers professionally appropriate."

From this perspective, Open Access mandates that allow for a combination of Open Access routes should not limit the academic freedom of researchers.

Indeed, by permitting both routes, researchers can choose the most appropriate dissemination channel for their work and then follow the necessary route to publish it in open access. Gold OA allows immediate open publication in OA journals and books, while Green OA allows deferred parallel publication of the article in a subscription journal and the author's manuscript (or post-print) in an institutional repository.