OVER THE last year, the best research on covid-19 could be accessed for free. Easy access helped scientists work on innovative solutions to deal with the pandemic. The covid-19 Open Research Dataset Challenge (cord-19) website, launched by the White House and a coalition of leading research groups, attracted tens of millions of views since inception. It is not just scientists who access research data. In November 2020, Springer Nature and partners reported that 28 per cent of the visitors on their websites were general users, including patients, teachers and lawyers. This is a revolution-of-sorts in a world where most journals are subscription-based or require the reader to pay for single articles, making access expensive and, thus, difficult.
Researchers have demanded open access to scientific data for the past two decades. The demand has the support of organisations such as Unesco (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
The movement for open-access publishing gathered momentum with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (in 2002), the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (in 2003), and then the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities the same year. These three statements defined the principles followed by most organisations that promote open access.
Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin January 16, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin January 16, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
