Editing Open access (section)

==== Public ====
The public may benefit from open access to scholarly research for many reasons. Advocacy groups such as [[Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition|SPARC]]'s Alliance for Taxpayer Access in the US argue that most scientific research is paid for by taxpayers through [[government grant]]s, who have a right to access the results of what they have funded.<ref>[http://www.taxpayeraccess.org/ ATA | The Alliance for Taxpayer Access] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194105/http://www.taxpayeraccess.org/ |date=27 September 2007 }}. Taxpayeraccess.org (29 October 2011). Retrieved on 3 December 2011.</ref> Examples of people who might wish to read scholarly literature include individuals with medical conditions and their family members, serious hobbyists or "amateur" scholars (e.g. [[Amateur astronomy|amateur astronomers]]), and high school and [[junior college]] students. Additionally, professionals in many fields, such as those doing research in private companies, [[start-up]]s, and hospitals, may not have access to publications behind paywalls, and OA publications are the only type that they can access in practice.

Even those who do not read scholarly articles benefit indirectly from open access.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120213162340/http://eprints.rclis.org/handle/10760/6842 Open Access: Basics and Benefits]. Eprints.rclis.org. Retrieved on 3 December 2011.</ref> For example, patients benefit when their doctor and other [[health care]] professionals have access to the latest research. Advocates argue that open access speeds research progress, productivity, and knowledge translation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Eysenbach |first=Gunther |year=2006 |title=The Open Access Advantage |journal=J Med Internet Res |volume=8 |issue=2 |page=e8 |doi=10.2196/jmir.8.2.e8 |pmc=1550699 |pmid=16867971 |doi-access=free }}</ref>