BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine) is one of the most important search engines for academic publications. It is operated by the Bielefeld University Library and its database contains more than 350 million documents from over 11,000 data suppliers. Most of these publications are also freely accessible and therefore are displayed preferentially.

B!son stands for (Bibliometric and Semantic Open Access Recommender Network), a tool that allows you to quickly and efficiently find out which journals are best suited to your needs. Through HTW Berlin it is possible to gain access to a version of B!son specially developed for all members of the university. Further information can be found on the B!son page of the university library.

The Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) is a comprehensive directory of open access books that helps authors and editors who wish to publish a monograph or an open access edited volume to find a suitable publisher. With the help of various filter functions, it is possible to refine the search. One of the requirements for access to the DOAB for academic books is that they undergo an independent and external peer review process before publication.

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a catalogue of Open Access scientific periodicals. It helps authors who wish to publish an Open Access article to find a suitable Open Access journal for their needs. When searching, it is possible, for example, to filter journals by subject or by the review process used. DOAJ also makes it a prerequisite that Open Access journals that wish to be included in the database undergo an independent and external peer review process prior to publication. This ensures that all journals in the database fulfil certain quality criteria.

The OA Books Toolkit aims to help authors better understand the process of publishing open access books. This toolkit covers specific topics related to OA books, provides short introductions, explains key terms, offers useful reading material and collects all information needed regarding OA book publishing.

Open Access Button makes finding freely available versions of scientific publications that were originally fee-based possible. If a free version of the desired text is not available, Open Access Button contacts the author of the publication so that it can be made accessible to everyone. The search can be carried out via a web interface or using the available browser extension.

Sherpa Juliet is a useful tool that helps scientists and libraries to easily consult the guidelines of research institutions on open access, publishing and archiving data.

Sherpa/Romeo is a database that lists the conditions and requirements for self-archiving of publishers and journals. It is an extremely useful tool for authors who wish to release previously closed access publications via "green path". Further information on self-archiving can be found on the page Open Access publication paths.