Why Open Access Is Important

Why Open Access?

Who Benefits From Open Access?

For Students

• Students in every discipline need access to the latest research to complete their degree and get a job after graduation. Limited research access causes pupils to settle for less relevant material. Open Access ensures students obtain the finest education possible without arbitrarily limiting their access to intellectual articles.
• Many students, especially graduate students, pursue degrees to become researchers. Whether students become academics, physicians, attorneys, or entrepreneurs, they will always need access to research to make a difference. However, students' access to journals expires with their library card. They may not have access to journals if they accept a position at another university, and they may not have access to journals if they take a job outside.

For Researchers

• The ability of readers to find and use relevant literature is improved.
• The visibility, readership, and impact of author's works are increased.
• New avenues for discovery are opened up in the digital environment.
• Interdisciplinary research is enhanced.
• The pace of discovery, innovation, and research is accelerated in the digital environment.

For Developing Countries

For Entrepreneurs And Businesses

• Small enterprises cannot obtain and benefit from cutting-edge research because of cost constraints. Small enterprises across various disciplines, from biotechnology to alternative energy, would considerably benefit from complete access to scientific study findings. The problem is that without access to the most recent research, small firms cannot leverage that research to develop cutting-edge technologies that can open up entirely new areas of the economy.
• Open access supports the development of new ideas.
• It stimulates the development of new ideas, services, and products.
• It opens up new avenues for the development of new jobs.

For Educational Institutions

• It contributes to the organisation's fundamental purpose of knowledge advancement Democratizes access across all institutions - regardless of size or budget
• It provides previously unachievable access to community colleges, two-year institutions, elementary, middle, and secondary schools, and other schools.
• It assists students in gaining access to critical STEM resources
• It enhances academic institutions' competitiveness Students
• It improves the educational quality of their children
• It ensures that students have access to what they need to know, not just what they (or their school) can afford.
• It contributes to the development of a more educated workforce

For The Public

• Access to previously unavailable materials relating to health, energy, the environment and other areas of general interest leads to a better educated populace, which in turn encourages support for scientific enterprise and participation in citizen science.
• Researchers can build on new ideas as soon as they are published, whereas in the current system these ideas may remain locked away and unable to advance to the state of the art.
• We taxpayers must ensure that the research we finance is made available to the widest possible audience so that they may make use of and expand upon new ideas in order for it to have the biggest potential impact.