Open Access is a phenomenal movement in publishing. Much like the philosophy behind open-source software, Open Access publishing uses the Internet to freely disseminate research findings and reports.

Traditionally, researchers applied for grants from federal institutions. These institutions used tax payers’ money to fund the research grants. The researchers then conducted their research and published their findings in a journal. To read the article, members of the general public had to purchase the journal or find a library with a subscription to the journal, in effect paying to read the results of research that they funded!

With Open Access, researchers still apply for grants, which are still typically granted using federal monies. However, now the reports are published in Open Access journals, which are freely available online and anyone with an Internet connection may read the article reporting the findings.

Open Access provides researchers with a larger audience, shortens the delay between acceptance and publication of articles, and increases the citation rate of their articles.

Open Access provides researchers with free online access to scholarly information.

Open Access provides teachers with research articles which they can freely share and use in classes without fear of copyright infringement.

Open Access provides scientists and scholars a feasible way to publish their research without utilizing the traditional publishing system, which has actually been raising prices for years, causing many libraries to cut subscriptions. Some subscription prices have increased 700 percent since 1989! Publishing through Open Access is an effective solution to the out-of-control spiraling of journal prices.

To learn more, visit the Public Library of Science (http://www.plos.org/oa/definition.html), The Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (http://www.arl.org/sparc/), or Students for Free Culture (http://freeculture.org/).