Unethical Aspects of Open Access

ABSTRACT

In this article, we identify and discuss several ethically problematic aspects of open access scientific publishing. We conclude that, despite some positive effects, paid open access has at least three unethical aspects: it discriminates against researchers, creates an editorial conflict of interest, and diverts funding from the actual conduct of research. To be truly open access, all researchers must be able to access its benefits.

KEYWORDS:

• Publication ethics
• open access
• conflicts of interest

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.