Engaging civil society with health research

The move to an open access model in contemporary health research raises questions about the role of the scientific journal and its engagement with civil society in shaping the research agenda, as well as highlighting tensions between the public interest in science and doing science that is in the public interest. If openness is seen as fundamental to the advancement of scientific discovery, a pay-to-view model of publishing militates against this. Publicly funding science implies a responsibility to share the results and benefits with the public who fund it. Health research, and its availability, is the foundation of the right to health in the World Health Organization Constitution. Erecting financial barriers can mean that health research is not available to those who need it most.