Open access (OA) refers to online research output that is free of all restrictions on access and free of many restrictions on use. Open access can be applied to all forms of published research output, including peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed academic journal articles, conference papers, theses, and monographs. The Scholarly Kitchen brings to light an interesting question in their article, “Revisiting: Is Access to the Research Paper the Same Thing as Access to the Research “Results”?”
The main reason authors make their articles openly accessible is to maximize their research impact. Scholars are paid by research funders and/or their universities to do research. The published article is the report of the work they have done, rather than an item for commercial gain. The more the article is used, cited, applied and built upon, the better for research as well as for the researcher’s career.
Many believe that results of research that has been publicly funded should be freely accessible in the public domain. What say ye?
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Data Harmony, a unit of Access Innovations, the world leader in indexing and making content findable.
