Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking. Login or Take a Tour!
mk · 4612 days ago · link · · parent · post: How did academic publishers acquire these feudal powers?
As a researcher, I often find that my institution doesn't have access to an article I'd like to read. Consider what that means: My own research can't be informed by previous research because of one of these paywalls. It impedes progress, and probably results in a lot of redundant work.
Thankfully the NIH is instituting policies that any research performed with NIH funds must become open within a certain amount of time (I believe it is several months). That said, I think these paywalls will fall in time. If other authors cannot read my work, they won't cite my work. Getting your work cited is an important component of a scientific career. It's very advantageous to get published in a journal like Nature, which every institution carries. However, at least to me, middle level paywall journals are becoming much less attractive when compared to http://www.plosone.org.