The Australian Academy of Science is providing access to its history of science journal free of charge to researchers in lower income countries.
Historical Records of Australian Science has joined CSIRO Publishing's partnership with Research4Life, which provides institutions in more than 80 countries with online access to academic and professional peer-reviewed content. An additional 44 countries will receive low-cost access, and refugee camps are eligible for free Research4Life access regardless of their location.
As part of the Research4Life partnership with CSIRO Publishing, the Academy is exploring a further expansion of the Historical Records of Australian Science collaboration to cover article publication charges to support open access publication for new submissions from scientists belonging to eligible groups. This new initiative will allow authors from low- and middle-income countries to publish open access as the default option, without financial barriers.
The partnership underscores the continued commitment of the Academy and CSIRO Publishing to removing barriers in scientific publishing and broadening global access to research, ensuring equity and inclusivity for those with limited resources.
Reducing global inequalities in access to knowledge
The aim of Research4Life is to improve teaching, research and policy-making in health, agriculture, the environment and other life, physical and social sciences by reducing global inequalities in access to knowledge.
According to Research4Life, it cultivates an inclusive and equitable scholarly communications environment which enables researchers from low- and middle-income countries to address societal challenges.
The organisation is working to transform research support from one-way donation to reciprocal engagement to enable diverse and rich scholarly exchange, to significantly increase participation of researchers from low and middle income countries in the global research community, and to support local networks in capacity development.
Historical Records of Australian Science
The Academy's journal publishes historical articles and documents relating to the history of science, pure and applied, in Australia, New Zealand and the southwest Pacific. It also publishes biographical memoirs of Academy Fellows, essays, book reviews and an annual bibliography of the history of science in Australia and the Southwest Pacific.
Countries that now have free access to the journal include Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and many Pacific Island nations.
