Open Access
What is open access?
Open access is when an author's work is made available to the public for free, and can be modified or added to at any time. In this scenario, the author still maintains their rights to their work, unlike that of works in the public domain, however, they do not make any profit from their writing. This type of payment-free publishing is also known by the term 'copyleft' [1]which is specifically designed as a contrast to the word 'copyright', a process where a work is usually restricted from the public in order to make profit.
Who is involved in the open access movement?
Many nonprofit organizations, as well as collaborative works or publications, such as online encyclopedias, support the open access movement. This can include Wiki pages, Scholarpedia, Citizendium, and other similar organizations[1]. Nonprofits such as the Creative Commons from Harvard University and GNU Project also work to promote free access to material and publications without a paywall in place. Additionally, apart from the literary world, the National Institutes of Health also provide open access through their peer-reviewed journals titled The Public Library of Science.[1] These journals are still carefully reviewed and maintained to the highest quality, but are free for the public to examine. As those who control the funds for these types of research push for more of their work to be made available to the public, the future could hold a great deal more of open access for materials in both the literary and scientific writing worlds.[2]
Impact on authors?
Open access is great when you're the one consuming the media, but this practice is not very sustainable for the authors themselves, who will often get no credit or compensation for their time and work. Open access can be a way for authors to gain the attention of publishing houses and get a traditional publishing deal,[1] but they will not make any profit off of the work itself, which can be an issue, and a significant reason why open access isn't more prevalent today.
