Around the world, governments, funding agencies, and universities are introducing or updating their Open Access mandates, with increasing focus on transparency, rights retention, and public accessibility of publicly funded research. This is one of the clearest indicators of and endorsements for the benefits of Open Access.

In this article, we outline what the main benefits of Open Access are, therefore demonstrating the reasons for its growth in popularity.

What is Open Access?

Open Access (OA) is a model for publishing scholarly research that makes information, typically scholarly articles, immediately available to readers at no cost. The research is often free to reuse for scholarly purposes due to the use of Creative Commons licenses.

In short, some of the goals of Open Access are:

• Ensuring scientific research is accessible and reusable for all.
• Ensuring that scientific communication is transparent, including for the methodology, observation, and collection of data.
• Encouraging scientific collaboration.

Stefan Tochev, CEO, speaks about the growth of OA during an interview for MDPI’s 30^th anniversary:

With over half of the world’s research now open access, it is the most widely accepted model for scientific publishing.

This shift has occurred gradually with key milestones along the way, primarily in the form of government and institution mandates and growing demands to increase the accessibility of research.

What are the benefits of Open Access?

Here, we outline 6 advantages of Open Access that highlight why the global movement behind it keeps growing momentum.

      1. Copyright and licensing

Research is often made openly accessible and reusable by Creative Commons (CC) licenses.

Creative Commons licenses fill the space between traditional copyright and the public domain. Creative Commons-licensed works can be copied, distributed, and elaborated on more easily, which is hugely beneficial to knowledge production and exchange. This is because they clearly define the rights of both the author and the user accessing the material.

They let the author grant public permission to use their work under copyright law subject to the author’s preferred conditions. Also, from a reader’s perspective, they answer the question ‘What can I do with this work?’. Essentially, CC licences set the rules for the use of Open Access material.

Your research can have a greater impact if there are no legal barriers to others using it and citing it in their research. This clarity accelerates the progress of science, potentially leading to more innovation.

Click here if you want to learn more about Open Access copyright and Creative Commons licensing.

      2. Citation advantages

One of the most widely discussed benefits of Open Access is the ‘OA citation advantage’. This refers to OA papers having a greater reach than paywalled ones, which simply stems from the fact that anyone, anywhere can access OA research. Increased clarity about reuse and having less barriers for readers mean people are more likely to engage with and cite the work.

However, a less commonly discussed benefit is the OA citation diversity advantage. Not only do OA outputs receive more citations, but these citations come from more diverse disciplines, institutions, and locations.

Researchers face immense pressure to demonstrate the impact of their research, often measured through metrics like Impact Factor and CiteScore. Having work published openly means that more readers from more diverse places and disciplines can engage with your work.

      3. Removing price barriers

Towards the end of the 20^th century, subscription costs for publications rose much faster than inflation. The “serials crisis” meant that libraries could not afford all the publications they wanted. The average price of academic journals increased by 226% between 1986 and 2001 alone.

This conflicted with the academic aims of wide distribution and accessibility, as vital research was placed behind expensive paywalls.

Considering that 85% of the world’s population live in low-to-middle-income countries, removing financial barriers to research is a necessity. This ensures that valuable information and cutting-edge insights can inform national strategies regardless of financial situations. In many fields of research, this means saving lives and improving quality of life.

For example, ensuring health research is openly accessible supports health equity, which straddles two of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (Goals 3 and 4). Click here if you want to learn more about How Open Access Supports Health Equity.

      4. Public engagement and education

OA ensures that the benefits of cutting-edge research are not restricted to academia. Greater societal access to research for society helps people understand developments in science and encourages participation. Further, the transparency of open research can help build trust in science at a time when this is being challenged.

Private sector businesses and professionals outside of academia like health workers, teachers, and lawyers all need to access research to make evidence-based decisions. Especially in countries and for institutions without large budgets, having to pay for access to research is a huge financial burden. Freely accessible research means a large part of their budget can be freed for use in other vital aspects, like implementing new findings.

Research derives its value precisely from its applicability and usefulness. One of the main benefits of Open Access is that knowledge is available to everyone regardless of their financial situation or institutional affiliation.

Click here if you want to learn about How Open Access can Boost the Private Sector.

       5. Interdisciplinary research

Interdisciplinary research analyses and harmonises links between disciplines into a coordinated whole. It stands out because it is more cooperative, involving scientists from different disciplines coming together, pooling their knowledge and skills.

Access to research is vital for using its findings to inform future studies. Open Access ensures that researchers can access whatever research they need, whenever they need it. This prevents them from exclusively reading the research they know will be valuable and missing out on findings that could lead to innovation.

Search engines and indexes blur the distinctions of disciplines and focus on common aims. If a researcher searches “climate change”, they will be able to access everything written on that topic, including research items from several disciplines.

This only works if research is Open Access. Openness enables scientists from one field to access the insights of other disciplines and build from them.

Click here to learn more about how Open Access and Interdisciplinary Research Support Each Other.

       6. Satisfying funder requirements

Open Access policies or mandates are rules or requirements set by governments, funding agencies, or institutions that require work be published in an Open Access format to varying degrees.

How strict requirements are can vary, with some suggesting and supporting OA publication and others strictly requiring that all publications be published in a specific repository or journal. If authors do not adhere to mandates, there can be penalties like withholding grant payments or ineligibility for future funding.

Overall, the broader direction of these mandates is clear: expectations around openness and compliance continue to accelerate.

For researchers, navigating these evolving requirements can be complex and time-consuming. Click here if you want to learn about Open Access Policies and Mandates Around the World.

Open Access is the paradigm

For 30 years, MDPI has been built on the conviction that scientific knowledge should be shared immediately and freely with everyone. Read what authors who have published in MDPI journals have to say about Open Access:

“Making publication Open Access is a positive step for the advancement of science and technology.” – Shuangshuang Fa, Sun Yat-sen University, China, Published in Drones.

“My experience with MDPI was highly efficient and positive, with excellent editorial support and an effective Open Access model that enhanced the visibility of my research.” – Rodridgo Olivares, Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile, Published in Mathematics.

“MDPI’s commitment to a fast and effective peer review, coupled with Open Access, ensures that research findings are promptly disseminated to a broad audience, which ultimately drives scientific progress.” – Paschalis Theotokis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Published in CIMB.

MDPI gives readers free and unlimited access to the full text of all published articles. It has more than 500 journals dedicated to providing the latest findings, many of which publish interdisciplinary research. If you are interested in submitting your work, see the full list of journals here.

Further, we are dedicated to giving you all the information you need to understand Open Access. Our article All You Need to Know About Open Access covers a range of topics.