Ameet Doshi

Skip to main content Information scholars have only recently undertaken empirical investigations into the societal impact of open access research. Ameet Doshi outlines the current state of the field and what needs to happen next.

Do non-researchers use open access (OA) research? Since open access manifestos going back decades invoke “curious minds” and those outside of academia as target audiences, this is an important—perhaps even existential—question about open access. The debates currently roiling in the US and elsewhere about research funding and public impact only make the question more urgent. My research, which I recently presented at the 2025 ACRL conference in Minneapolis, started with this question.

Skip to main content The idea of research as a public good has long been a central tenet of the open access movement. Here’s what I learned about who is actually using OA and why. LAYOUT MENU Insert PARAGRAPH Insert H2 Insert H3 Insert Unordered List Insert Ordered List Insert IMAGE CAPTION Insert YMAL WITH IMAGES Insert YMAL NO IMAGES Insert NEWSLETTER PROMO Insert QUOTE Insert VIDEO CAPTION Insert Horizontal ADVERT Insert Skyscrapper ADVERT Do non-researchers use open access (OA) research?