Anytime, anywhere, open access!

Searching the internet for academic publishing, and peer-reviewed scholarly journals has never been easier with the unrestricted access provided online. Authors publish their work online allowing access for everyone and anyone to read it, costing nothing. Authors get paid by research funders to do research, therefore publishing their articles gets used quicker and it can reduce publication delays. However, is giving your work out to the world for everyone to see, a good idea?

Schools would not agree to free work online, for students were not working to their potential best as they had got it from some one else. It could be argued as that open access is harmful, almost along the same pathway as theft. We would not actually be paying for someone else's stuff so is that stealing? Arguably, those who are not academic scholar should not be able to have access to the publishing's for it is not necessarily needed.

However, as a journalist it is quite good to read articles and other input on particular topics, without plagiarism- of course. If the work online is free it is quite useful for a normal cost for particular journals or articles is far more than what people would want to pay. Especially university students who'd rather spend their money partying than buying books they could easily get for free. Bargain?

The open access movement mentions articles and journals however it could be seen as piracy of films, TV shows, and music? We can download music online for free, watch our favourite shows and films online by streaming. Only particular websites allow this to happen however, somehow it will happen. Lime-wire was used to download music illegally, with no funds but eventually was banned, will this happen to all open access sites? 

If work is out there for us to read, it is not illegal and not copyrighted then surely it is not going to cause harm. The illegal and piracy issues is a criminal act, and always known and spoken about but will it ever change? besides we are only human who doesn't want a freebie?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/overview.htm