Benefits

Benefits to researchers and their institutions

Studies on Open Access publishing have shown that OA articles are downloaded more times than those available only on subscription from the same journal and year.  This brings benefits for the authors in terms of wider audience and greater reach for their work, and potentially increases the impact of their research.  It gives authors higher visibility within their field and with the general public and raises the profile of their institutions.  In a time of restricted funding it will also display what researchers and their institutions have done with public money provided by the Research Councils to support their work.

Benefits to the research community in general

OA publishing will also benefit the research community as a whole, allowing every researcher to access a full range of publications in their field without subscription, increasing the free exchange of information which is part of the life-blood of research endeavour.  The ability to access research outputs without subscription will also ease pressure on libraries feeling the results of limited resources and faced with an ever-increasing flood of new research outputs.