Open Access is a publishing model which allows readers to access scientific publications online
free of charge. Open Access removes price and permission barriers: there are no subscription fees,
and unrestricted use of all published material is made possible thanks to flexible intellectual property
laws for authors.
By removing access barriers typical of traditional publishing models, Open Access accelerates
research and learning and enables the sharing of knowledge on a global level. Knowledge is a heritage
that should be freely accessible to everyone.
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The scientific community and the whole of society benefits from Open Access.
Comprehensive, fast and efficient research cycles allow scholars to make progress in their careers
more effectively thanks to immediate access to new research materials, findings and the latest
scientific developments.
At the same time, by providing an information-sharing framework where readers can refer to,
distribute or display the work of others, Open Access contributes to the wider dissemination,
increased usage and impact of researchers' work.
Open Access brings increased visibility to institutions that fund and supervise research.
Universities, institutes, foundations, national funds for scientific research and government agencies
all benefit from the increased visibility and higher citation rates of funded projects. Moreover,
unrestricted use of and immediate access to free research literature provides a great resource for
teaching, conference presentations and lectures, and thus both teaching staff and students benefit
highly from it.
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