Kasey Sheridan

Dr. Gagich

ENG 102H

9 September 2020

How Does the Monetization of Research Affect People?

We are living in unprecedented times. As a seemingly unstoppable COVID-19 surges across the globe, researchers are scrambling to find a cure. You might find yourself thinking, why is the search for a vaccine taking so long? While a multitude of different factors are at play, one thing stands out: the monetization of research. In many situations, important information is difficult to access because of paywalls and other restrictions. The monetization of research affects everybody and slows scientific progress. This paper will address the adverse effects of the monetization of research on researchers, the general population, and the future of research itself.

Paywalls-- defined by Dictionary.com as “ system[s] in which access to all or part of a website is restricted to paid subscribers--” block researchers from accessing research papers and information that could very well hold the key to their next breakthrough. If vital research was free and open to everybody, researchers would have the upperhand in the battle against COVID-19 and other diseases alike. As quoted by Kate Murphy in her 2016 article “Should All Research Papers Be Free,” professor of genetics, genomics, and development Michael Eisen states that “The current system slows science by slowing communication of work… by limiting the number of people who can access information and squashes the ability to do the kind of data analysis” that is possible when articles aren’t “sitting on various siloed databases.” It is impossible for researchers to replicate studies or develop new theories if the information required to do so is blocked behind subscriptions and paywalls, thus slowing scientific progress.

For-profit publishers and paywalls do not only affect professional scientific researchers and academics-- college students rely on academic journals for writing papers, conducting research, and, aside from their professors and peers, learning. The sources used to write this paper, while informative and credible enough to assist the author in formulating and supporting their argument, are not all peer-reviewed journals written by professional researchers or reputable scientists, and this is due in part to paywalls blocking access to numerous peer-reviewed sources. As the years progress, information is becoming less and less accessible to students-- in fact, in 2019, the University of California stopped paying for its subscription to Elsevier, a major online publishing site. According to an article from Stat News, the university previously paid the publisher “more than $10 million so that its affiliates could access hundreds of Elsevier journals” (Robbins).

It may not appear so obvious, but the monetization of research and information negatively impacts the general population more than the general population may even realize. In many instances, tax-funded research is “given for free” to publishers who “publish it behind paywalls and charge the scientific community and the very taxpayers who funded it in the first place, for access” (Leetaru). Why should the general population be denied access to research papers and journals, many of which their tax dollars funded? It is doubtful that somebody would pay a ninety-dollar subscription, for example, to read a research paper about something that peaks their interest, such as COVID-19, simply for the sake of learning. That ninety-dollar paywall is stopping somebody from learning more about COVID-19 and because the research paper is not free, that person might head to less-credible sources for their information, such as a heavily-biased news network or gossip-heavy magazine.

As stated earlier in this paper, the monetization of research slows scientific study, discussion, and breakthroughs. Now, researchers are racing to understand COVID-19. Depending on the source, research and information about the disease is scattered and sometimes difficult to find. Nobody knows what research will look like in the future. It may be fully open-access, or it may be blocked by even more paywalls and subscriptions. However, if research continues on as it is being conducted and published now, it may become difficult for any new information to be discovered or discussed as the years progress. Will the world be prepared to face another pandemic in the future, should one occur?

It can be and has been argued that the quality of information and research is associated with the price paid by the reader to access it. Demonetizing research and taking access back from publishers may well result in a “quantity over quality” mindset among researchers. However, many “quality-control” measures have been put into place in recent years aiming to assess open-access journals for quality and credibility. The “Berlin Declaration,” for example, is a part of an initiative made with the intent of making the “global pool of scientific knowledge” available to all through regulated, peer-reviewed open access journals. The statement claims that quality assurance measures must be taken in order to preserve the reputability of open-access publications and it is crucial that online journals maintain standards of quality. Additionally, many open-access articles are peer-reviewed, opposing the belief that open access articles are not reputable (Bocanegra-Valle).

If you are not a publisher, the price tags on academic research and journals have and will continue to affect you negatively. While it can be argued that paying for access is necessary in keeping information credible and up-to-the-mark, the adverse effects of paywalls and subscriptions greatly outweigh the potential disadvantages associated with making research free and accessible to all. The monetization of research blocks researchers from making discoveries and breakthroughs, limits information available to the general population, and slows the progress of science itself.

Works Cited

Bocanegra-Valle, Ana. “How Credible Are Open Access Emerging Journals?: A Situational Analysis in the Humanities.” Publishing Research in English as an Additional Language: Practices, Pathways and Potentials, edited by Margaret Cargill and Sally Burgess, University of Adelaide Press, South Australia, 2017, pp. 121–150. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.20851/j.ctt1t305cq.12. Accessed 9 Sept. 2020.

Leetaru, K. (2017, July 31). The Internet Made Information Free: Now It Has Come For Academic Research. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2017/07/31/the-internet-made-information-free-now-it-has-come-for-academic-research/. Accessed 8 Sept. 2020.

Murphy, K. (2016, March 12). Should All Research Papers Be Free? Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/opinion/sunday/should-all-research-papers-be-free.html Accessed 8 Sept. 2020.

Paywall. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/paywall. Accessed 8 September 2020.

Robbins, R., Says:, P., & Says:, F. (2019, February 28). University of California breaks up with major publisher over access dispute. Retrieved from https://www.statnews.com/2019/02/28/university-of-california-breaks-up-with-major-publisher-over-research-access-dispute/. Accessed 9 September 2020.