DIGITAL REVIEW

A research revolution

here was a time, not so long ago, when you actually had to go to a library to read a journal article. If Tthe library did not have the article you needed, you would ask your librarian to source the article and pay for the journal to be loaned to your library. “The revolution is not an The internet changed research; providing rapid access to information wherever you apple that falls when it could get a telephone signal. Accessing is ripe. You have to make articles instantly meant that it was also easy to share information illegally. To help it fall.” Erenesto ‘Che’ Guevara protect their copyright, major publishers put journal articles behind paywalls (a paying institutions. The LibGen database is academic job or gaining promotion within password protected area to allow only paid updated simultaneously with the requested an academic institution. subscribers to access website content). paper. Crucially, from a user’s perspective, Pirate organisations like Napster and The In the UK, researchers primarily access it is easier to access an article on Sci-Hub Piratebay changed the face of our music, journals through organisations such as than through the publisher’s own website. TV and movie industries. They enabled Open Athens and Shibboleth which allow Sci-Hub is illegal. It breaches the the rise of well designed, legal download access to multiple journals. However, this publisher’s copyright by illegally and streaming services and have generally process does not work seamlessly and reproducing articles from publishers’ reduced the cost of consumer access to requires you to often change access keys websites. On its own website, Sci-Hub music, online television and movies. Due to access certain journals, depending on openly “advocates for the cancellation of to a combination of convenience and lower what journals your university, hospital or intellectual property, or copyright laws, for cost, download and streaming services organisation subscribes to. scientific and educational resources”. Sci- have rapidly replaced the buying of media In developing countries, researchers Hub has had one domain name removed in physical shops. generally do not have institutional access in a lawsuit filed by Elsevier in the USA. Sci-Hub has already changed academia, to most western journals. To get access However, it has multiple backup plans and enabling anyone with a computer to to the latest articles, researchers can go is actively using an alternative domain access virtually any digital journal on forums to ask for digital articles from name. article, anywhere in the world. Sci-Hub researchers who have institutional access, The tide is gradually turning towards faces a battle that is arguably far more or directly from authors using twitter with an open access model in academia. important for humanity than the pirating the #icanhazpdf hashtag. The increasing costs of journal access of multimedia. A battle for free access The ‘research revolution’ started in 2011 for libraries, in combination with cuts to human knowledge. Even if Sci-Hub when Alexandra Elbakyan, a researcher in funding are forcing libraries to cut does not survive in its current form, the in Kazakhstan created Sci-Hub. Sci-Hub expensive journals from online access. revolution Alexandra Elbakyan started will is a website which bypasses publisher Open access journals, such as PLOS be felt long into the future. In the words of paywalls. It provides access to nearly every ONE are rising in popularity. Funding Erenesto ‘Che’ Guevara “The revolution is scientific paper ever published immediately organisations such as the Welcome Trust not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You to anyone who requests it. The website are banning publications in closed (behind have to make it fall.” uses the digital object identifier (DOI) of paywall) journals. the article to find and retrieve the original Morally, is it right that large private PDF article. Alternatively, you can enter the organisations own the rights to the research uniform resource locator (URL) or PubMed SECTION EDITOR of academics? The research is funded identifier (PMID) of the article to retrieve it. by taxpayers, charities, and industry. You can find the DOI, URL or PMID of the Experiments are frequently performed files you are searching for in PubMed or any on human subjects who have entered other research database. Currently, there randomised controlled studies for the are more than 58 million articles in the benefit of mankind. Yet, the research database. cannot be read without paying to access the The website has a similar layout to article, even by the individuals involved in Google’s homepage with a simple search the trial or their descendants. field. When you enter the DOI, PMID or Academics do not gain financially from Ivo Dukic, URL the website attempts to download publishing papers, only publishers do. So Consultant Urological Surgeon, Plymouth a copy from the LibGen database of why do academics hand over their work Hospitals NHS Trust. pirated journal content. If the content is to publishers to profit from their work? E: [email protected] not present, the website automatically Twitter: @urolsurg Large publishing groups own most of Medium: @urolsurg redirects through the publisher’s paywalls the high impact journals, and publishing using access keys donated by academics in in these journals is crucial to keeping an

urology news | MARCH/APRIL 2017| VOL 21 NO 3 | www.urologynews.uk.com