Every day people are denied access to the research they need - you can change that
How we publish research is broken, but it can be fixed and the Open Access Button is here to help. Open Access has the potential to give everyone free access to the world’s cutting edge research. This will help your doctor save lives, families get access to the latest research on their loved one's disease, researchers advance our understanding of the world, and students better further their education. With the Open Access Button we can realise this potential, but we need your donation to do it.
Currently research is published in journals with expensive subscriptions, which hides knowledge behind paywalls away from the public who paid for it. The solution to this is Open Access, which allows research to be accessed and reused by whoever needs it.
Our story so far
One year ago we discovered the true injustice of the traditional publishing system. In response we spent months working with a team of volunteer developers to make an early version of an idea we knew could catalyse change, the Open Access Button.
The tool allows people to report when they are denied access to research and helps them get access to the research they need. This turns the frustrations and injustice of millions being denied access to research into something visible with the potential to make change.
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So far we’ve mapped over 6500 moments of this injustice, but we know that this is just the beginning. There are stories of patients looking for information on their condition and treatment, students trying to do their homework, and researchers trying to advance our knowledge of the world we live in.
With your support we can finish building the next version of the Open Access Button, Button 2.0, in time for a release during Open Access Week (October).
All the money raised will go towards a new tool
We have to raise £20,000 to fund the initial development of Button 2.0. A global team of student volunteers manage every other aspect of the project - so every penny of the donations we receive, up to and beyond the target, will go directly into the technical development time.
Button 2.0 has been reimagined from the ground up to make it a true game changer. We’ve focused on creating ways to connect people with the research they need and use research in completely different ways. We’ve worked with the most innovative people and organisations, like Wikipedia and others from around the world. Of course, every line of code will be open source and available for others to improve on.
While we’ve been doing this, we’ve been preparing for an exciting event to launch Button 2.0, and an international campaign using the data we generate to push for change.
Other ways you can help
Donating isn’t the only way you can help us, you can also:
Share this page, video or even blog about the campaign!
Please get in touch if you happen to be a part of an organisation who can help us, either with in-kind support or a donation.
Use the Open Access Button: your stories are the biggest stimulus for change.
Whether you share the campaign, or donate £1 or £1,000, you will be helping to develop a tool that can make the problem of paywalls visible and help free the research we need.
