The concept of Open Access (OA) originates from the academic community’s emphasis on knowledge sharing and equitable access. As journal subscription fees have steadily increased over the years, many scholars and institutions have raised concerns about how these high publishing costs limit the dissemination of research outputs, affecting academic impact and innovation.

In 2002, scholars and librarians from around the world launched the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) in Budapest, Hungary. This declaration clearly defined the core spirit of OA: “the free availability of scholarly literature on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles” (BOAI, 2002).

Subsequently, important international declarations such as the Berlin Declaration (2003) and the Bethesda Statement (2003) further emphasized that scholarly publishing should promote the free dissemination and reuse of knowledge, calling on academic institutions and governments to support OA.

In recent years, with the advancement of digital and cloud technologies, an increasing number of international research organizations require that funded research outputs be made openly accessible (e.g., Plan S), pushing OA to become a global trend in academic publishing. In Taiwan, many universities actively promote OA through building institutional repositories and offering publication discounts, aiming to increase the visibility of research outputs.

To raise awareness of OA’s importance, the international advocacy organization SPARC has organized the International Open Access Week annually since 2008. Every October, research institutions, libraries, scholars, and students worldwide join forces to promote open knowledge and scholarly sharing. (Open Access Week official website)