Open Access Handbook — Opportunities and Challenges

"Science and scholarship, in other words, the creators of knowledge, consist in large measure in the processing of information. New knowledge arises through the study of existing works, exchange of ideas, the linking of ideas and networking with other disciplines. Any restriction of access to academic information hinders the process of obtaining new insights and making new discoveries whose usefulness cannot be determined in advance. The publication of results and the accessibility of publications are therefore a precondition for the efficiency of the research process."