Abstract
For many scientists and medics, especially those in lower-income countries such as sub-Saharan Africa, access to the latest research can be limited and restricted. In this age of technology should anyone have to pay to access research published online? To aid both the economic development of developing countries and to ensure a complete scientific record, scholarly research must be made freely accessible – open access (OA) publishing provides free, immediate and permanent online access to the full text of an article, presenting researchers with easily accessible high-quality scientific resources essential to the rapid and efficient global communication of research findings. Various projects and initiatives aimed at improving the situation for the developing world are described in this article, including BioMed Central’s ‘Open Access Africa’ initiative.
Highlights
MATTHEW MCKAY Head of Public Relations BioMed CentralEspecially those in lowerincome countries, access to the latest scholarly research can frequently be highly limited
Whilst open access is increasing in popularity, there is still great scope for wider adoption and for researchers based in sub-Saharan locations to gain the benefits which OA can provide
Hosted and organized by BioMed Central, in association with Computer Aid International, the event will be led from the perspective of researchers seeking access to information, and authors seeking to communicate the results of their work globally, in an effort to increase visibility and output of African research
Summary
Especially those in lowerincome countries, access to the latest scholarly research can frequently be highly limited. Despite increased access to technology and the rise of internet communications and online journals, the visibility of African science to researchers and policy-makers still needs to be greatly raised. Publishers such as BioMed Central often support research output from developing countries by providing automatic waivers for article processing charges (APCs) for published research. It has enabled Computer Aid International to reach the most rural, isolated and poor communities to provide low-power computing solutions This technology is vital to the development of scientific research in these regions, as free access to open access research is available in otherwise unconnected areas. The ZubaBox is used by medical professionals who want to communicate with specialists in the city, buy medicine online ready for collection and document patient’s medical history
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