What’s this? Open Access Week is a global event to raise awareness of the Open Access movement, which makes research and scholarship freely available online to anyone, anywhere.

Isn’t research already freely available online? Some is. Much is not. Many researchers publish their work in journals that are available only by subscription. These journals are well-established but they can be very costly. (In the sciences, a subscription to just one publication can cost thousands of dollars.) Researchers with limited budgets cannot afford to access expensive journals. Hence, that research is not shared.

How can research be more accessible? The Open Access movement offers an alternative: Researchers publish their work in online publications, which are available to anyone at no cost.

Why don’t all researchers submit their work to Open Access journals? Young scholars may seek the prestige of leading journals, whether they are Open Access or not. Or scholars may not know about Open Access. Publishing is a complex landscape but one thing is certain: Authors should know their options!

Where can I find out more about Open Access?

Directory of Open Access Journals

A brief overview of Open Access — with links to a longer overview