Open access (OA), under which research is freely available without paywalls, is one of the main discussion points of the twenty-first century research environment. The benefits of OA are clear, from making research outcomes more impactful in terms of increased citations to enabling their wider availability within and outside academia. However, open access alone does not resolve the challenges policymakers, higher education institutions, academics and others face in making the best use of research.
In this Policy Note, Gardner and Brassington ask what challenges would remain, in a fully open access world, to enabling non-academic audiences to engage with research.