2015, Page 12

Image Source As a University student faced with reports, projects and a dissertation, the thought of filtering through heavy research and readings can be a drag. However, an absolute frustration is when we finally found suitable content online, yet come up against a paywall. Ever felt this way? I would think so. Paywalls are getting increasingly popular and will continue to be on the rise – 90% of online content will be held behind a paywall in the near future (Stephen Lepitak, 2013). Continue reading →

Has this ever happened to you? only to be faced with this? Frustrating isn’t it?  Don’t you just hate this page?? Have you ever wondered why though? There’re both sides to a coin. We want the article for academic purposes to get a good grade. Publishers want compensations for his article for the effort, time and money he have put into his research. Rather fair don’t you think? Open Access VS Paid Access The term is Paid Access (a.k.a. Continue reading →

Many of us grew up with digital gadgets and abundant sources of information. To be a little crude, aren’t we digital spoilt brats? Should we put an end to this ‘free for all’ culture? Online pay-walls has been on the rise lately, with prices tagged on scientific research papers, music and etc. Creators wants their creation to be protected and valued. Mark Helprin, the writer of “A Great Idea Lives Forever. Continue reading →

“Hiding your research behind a paywall is immoral…If you are a scientist, your job is to bring new knowledge into the world. And if you bring new knowledge into the world, it’s immoral to hide it. I heartily wish I’d never done it, and I won’t do it again,” (Taylor, 2013). Source Doesn’t this look familiar? Sourcing for articles online to support an argument in a research paper is familiar for many individuals, especially students. Continue reading →

(Image from: Online Learning Tips) This topic requires us to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of offering free accessible content in the eyes of a content producer. However, I’m pretty sure most of us interpreted the question as: Should online content be free, or not? It is in the nature of this topic to spur discussions on price and could easily be the sole focus. But I believe ‘online content’ goes deeper than monetary talks. Continue reading →

As students, we’re all used to searching for information online when we need help. Imagine having to pay for everything we have to research on! “Pile on too many fees for content, and customers disappear and ad revenue declines. Give away too much, and you could miss out on subscriber revenue.” – Ann Arbor Different authors might have different reasons for either imposing a fee or publishing it freely. Continue reading →

Imagine doing your final year dissertation and you found a very informative journal but the only way of accessing it is by paying a price. What will you do? For me, I will definitely sacrifice my money to achieve better grades. But is there a better way towards this issue? One answer is Open Access! (Credits: openaccessbutton. Continue reading →

Source: EbenGregory Ever tried accessing information online for a school project but being required to pay a fee to view it? Yup, that’s me! In my perspective, why would I spend a hefty sum of money just to have full access to a particular literature? In the perspective of the content producer, why would he/she allow free access to the hard work of his/her research without earning? Here’s a video to explain further about online access to information: Source: Youtube The question... Continue reading →

Source: Giphy.com . . . – Sincerely, a student… – The pains of a student: Sourcing for information only to find out you need to pay for it. Buying the resource and finding out that it doesn’t contain the information you need.[1] Source: nature.com If open access(OA) was available, people would have access to information that could literally improve their lives. Continue reading →