4 ms·
It's not just about laymen. There are quite a few PhD-holders working outside academia. Many of them cannot even access their own papers without paying ridiculo
by xamuel 9y ago
It's not just about laymen. There are quite a few PhD-holders working outside academia. Many of them cannot even access their own papers without paying ridiculous fees.
- jhbadger 9y agoAnd even within academia. Big universities can afford to subscribe to thousands of journals; small universities and research institutes can't. When I worked at a research institute I would routinely encounter paywalls trying to access papers.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 9y agoEven within; between funding sources or position switches, you might lose access to your institution's library, or your institution might be small with significant gaps in their subscriptions. Ultimately, Sci-hub is often an easier and more pleasant way to get papers you have legitimate access to. At this point, I don't think there's anyone in my department that doesn't use Sci-hub from time to time. It's basically expected that anyone on filing fees for dissertation writing will use sci-hub rather than go through the hassle of requesting a special library access code (since they're no longer 'paying/earning' tuition). There's no going back.