Open access reconnects science with its underlying purpose: helping society progress and improve.
By providing immediate and unrestricted access to the latest research and scientific work, we can accelerate discovery and build a more equitable and open knowledge system.
The open-access movement transformed the scientific world by refocusing debate on research outputs and on a crucial issue: financing. Free access for readers, lower costs for authors to share their work, and reduced opportunities for unethical rent-seeking by organizations that once held excessive control over scientific publishing all matter.
The real difficulty lies in funding.
If we accept that no financial burden should fall on end users, meaning readers, then these costs must be covered by authors, authors’ institutions, or funders.
Those actors in turn need support, first from local governments, then from funders and international organizations.
It is hard to ignore that local governments, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, do not do enough to finance research, researchers, and universities, at least in my experience.
A transparent organization of research funding is necessary.