How to read research papers for free.
Should scientific knowledge be free? If you pose this question to researchers, academics and intellectuals, the answer may very well vary in relation to the milieu it’s raised within.
At private dinner parties academics, whom largely contributes to scientific knowledge creation, most often reach a consensus to the above question. That of, scientific knowledge should be free and not be dependent on socio-economic variables.
Aaron Swartz, now deceased, was a visionary intellectual who, sadly, experienced similar systemic oppression as Alan Turing. Both committing suicide, due to the oppression of archaic judiciary systems. Aaron Swartz envisioned a world were scientific knowledge could be freely available to anyone, who could gain access to a internet connection. However, such endeavour did not come to fruition before his tragic death. Aaron Swartz, however, was not the only intellectual who’s attempted to liberate knowledge from monitization. In 2011 Alexandra Elbakyan, a Kazakhstani intellectual, founded the project Sci-Hub.
Sci-Hub is an internet portal, which gives users free access to the majority of existing scientific research papers. One can simply bypass paywalls by publishers, such as scientific journals, by entering the DOI or title of a given peer-reviewed research paper into a search bar. Some countries have banned the access to Sci-Hub, however, restrictions can easily be bypassed by VPNs and/or The Onion Router (TOR).
Many institutions, including the White House in United Sates of America, have attempted to smear, sue and oppressor Alexandra Elbakyan for her efforts to liberate scientific knowledge.
In 2016, Alexandra Elbakyan, was listed in Nature’s 10, a notorious top 10 list created by the scientific journal Nature, which celebrates individuals who matters in science, whether their contributions has been benevolent or malevolent. In 2017, some researchers may have voiced their opinions, about Alexandra Elbakyan, in an indirect manner.
A newly discovered species of parasitoid wasps were given the name Idiogramma elbakyanae, in honor of Alexandra Elbakyan. Whether the researchers did a, somewhat, funny troll or had a more malicious intent, is inconsequential. Many academics will graciously, in private settings, sing her praise.
Thus, should scientific knowledge be free? Yes, and the majority of such can be accessed freely, via the Sci-Hub website.
Disclaimer: All of the above is a work of fiction.