Introduction Open access was once celebrated as the long-awaited revolution in academic publishing. The pitch was seductive: a world where knowledge is freely available to anyone with an internet connection, where the latest discoveries in medicine, climate science, and social policy are no longer locked behind expensive paywalls. It was meant to democratize information, accelerate … Read more
Introduction Few words carry more weight in academia than “Nature,” “Science,” and “Cell.” To publish in one of these journals is to secure a ticket to recognition, promotion, and sometimes even tenure. They are the crown jewels of academic publishing, the equivalent of the Oscars in research. But beneath the prestige lies a set of … Read more
Introduction Sci-Hub has been called everything from the “Robin Hood of science” to the “greatest threat to academic publishing.” It is a website that provides free access to millions of scholarly articles that would otherwise sit behind expensive paywalls. Depending on who you ask, it is either a heroic effort to democratize knowledge or outright … Read more
Introduction Academic publishing often portrays itself as a noble enterprise, a guardian of human knowledge tasked with preserving discoveries and distributing wisdom across the globe. This image is polished, sophisticated, and deeply entrenched in the way universities, governments, and the public think about scholarly communication. But anyone who has tried to publish an article, access … Read more
Introduction By 2030, academic publishing will have already shifted dramatically. Open access mandates are dismantling paywalls, AI-driven peer review is attempting to patch the holes in an overloaded system, and researchers are finding new ways to publish data alongside traditional articles. Yet, for all this talk of innovation, the publishing world is still wedded to … Read more