Researchers do post PDFs on their websites, and on preprint servers like the arXiv, bioaRxiv, etc. Unfortunately, publishers act like gatekeepers towards career

Researchers do post PDFs on their websites, and on preprint servers like the arXiv, bioaRxiv, etc. Unfortunately, publishers act like gatekeepers towards career progress in academia. Climbing the ladder depends on getting publications in high impact journals and getting your papers cited by other publications. Competition for academic jobs and funding is already very high, and anyone who refuses to play the game will most likely fall behind.