Open Access Sites Face Competition<\/h2>\n
Open access sites, such as Public Library of Science<\/a> or Academia.edu<\/a>, usually offer online academic journal services for free. They are supported by non-profit agencies, donations, or crowdfunding\u2014the modern patronage. Users just need to sign up on the sites to access the content; therefore, no physical distribution costs exist. However, this free circulation of knowledge implies important changes in the manner researchers gain access to the content and the presentation of the content itself.<\/p>\n The first big change is related to the new ways of sharing knowledge online. Open access journals count on dissemination tools that are interesting for younger researchers, for example, E-books. Besides, they count on social media to promote its use and reinforce their brand image. Thus, they are not limiting access to researchers and academics but making it accessible\u00a0to everybody, regardless of the user\u2019s economic, social, or intellectual position.<\/p>\n The idea of free circulation of knowledge is actually one of the forces that gives an impetus to patronage. There are plenty of wealthy (or more modest) individuals, companies, and many other institutions willing to contribute economically to research and development. Moreover, we can also consider universities, research centers, or academies as potential donors, considering the fact that economically contributing to these open access journals is much cheaper than paying for publishing sites subscriptions.<\/p>\n There are few reasons to believe that offering open access to knowledge can affect quality. However, there are some common practices that might change while managing knowledge without imposing high charges.<\/p>\n Since many open access platforms do not rely on big budgets to correct and edit academic manuscripts<\/a>, a new proofreading<\/a> procedure is developing\u2014peer-to-peer\u00a0crowdfunding. This peer-to-peer editing process<\/a> includes the fact that many researchers or experts in a field contribute to correct the papers. Sometimes, this review is done after the paper is published.<\/p>\n Another interesting point to consider is the importance that prestige and\u00a0seniority have in these sites. Unlike big publishing houses, open access sites do not select papers considering the researcher\u2019s position. Besides, practices such as coercive citation<\/a> may seem unnatural when publishing on these sites.<\/p>\n It looks like there is no need to say more about how open access sites can pose a threat to big publishing houses. Nevertheless, the fact is they count on many ways to expand their importance and to become a real competitor. The Internet and its infinite ways of offering cooperation are\u00a0the perfect allies for researchers and publishers to stand\u00a0up to the huge academic publishing giants.<\/p>\nDoes This Situation Change Characteristics of Academic Publications?<\/h2>\n
Offering Free Access to Sources<\/h2>\n
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