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Need Access to Research?

Sign up below to get your Open Access Button

Learn more about the project in this video
Tearing down barriers to accessing research, one click at a time

Sign up below to get the Open Access Button, a safe, easy to use browser bookmarklet that you can use to show the global effects of research paywalls - and to help get access to the research you need. Every time you hit a paywall blocking your research, click the button. Fill out a short form, add your experience to the map along with thousands of others. Then use our tools to search for access to papers, and spread the word with social media. Every person who uses the Open Access Button brings us closer to changing the system.

Watch the video or read this for a quick introduction, then sign up here:

Your e-mail address will not be publicised or shared with third parties.

Thanks for signing up! Your personal Open Access Button is at the top of the page, and you can add it to your bookmark bar now.

If you do not see a bookmark bar at the top of your browser, you can find instructions for activating yours here: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, iPad, Internet Explorer. For a 2-minute walkthrough on using the button (don't worry, it's easy!) - watch this video or read here.

9323 Paywalls Hit

This map displays people being denied access to research they both need and paid for. Using the Open Access Button will make your individual moments of injustice and frustration visible to the world. Go to openaccessbutton.org to explore the map further and tell the world you are being denied access to knowledge.

What is this about?

People are denied access to research hidden behind paywalls every day. This problem is invisible, but it slows innovation, kills curiosity and harms patients. This is an indictment of the current system. Open Access has given us the solution to this problem by allowing everyone to read and re-use research. We created the Open Access Button to track the impact of paywalls and help you get access to the research you need. By using the button you’ll help show the impact of this problem, drive awareness of the issue, and help change the system. Furthermore, the Open Access Button has several ways of helping you get access to the research you need right now.

Get involved.

The first step is using the Open Access Button (and you are using it, daily, on every paywall, right?). But don’t think that’s all there is to do! This project was made possible by developers, advocates, students and general clever folk from Open community and we need continued support to take this to the next level. Of course, the code, text, and data we’ve pulled together are openly available, so you can innovate and advocate with it. If you can, donate to the project to help us support and maintain service as well as helping us with our future development plans. Bottom line, we’d love to hear from you, so whether it’s a suggestion, virtual pat on the back, or, dare I say a bug you’ve noticed, get in touch.

Meet the team of people and organisations who made this a reality

  • Joseph McArthur

    Founder, project lead and apparently also a pharmacology student

  • David Carroll

    Founder, medical student and twitter addict

  • Nicholas Ng

    Awesome developer from the BMJ Hackday who was instrumental in getting us 3rd place

  • Andy Lulham

    Lead developer and central to the project from the first second at the BMJ hackday

  • Florian Rathgeber

    Joined the project at the BMJ hackday and helped throughout providing solutions to our many problems

  • Jez Cope

    Lead Developer who designed and implemented a way for us to link papers behind paywalls to available copies

  • Alf Eaton

    Developer at PeerJ who lended a hand at several points

  • Ayesha Garrett

    Helped design much of the imaging around the project

  • Victor Ng

    One of our best developers, instrumental in bring it to completion. Elsevier's biggest fan

  • Oleg Lavrovsky

    Lead designer and web developer, also creator of an awesome spin off, the Open Data Button

  • Tom Pollard

    Developer. PhD student in University College London. Co-founder of Ubiquity Press

  • Martin Paul Eve

    Developer. Lecturer in English Literature. Director of Open Library of Humanities

  • Emanuil Tolev

    Developer. Computer Science Student. Associate at Cottage Labs

  • Cameron Stocks

    National Director of Medsin, the UK’s student global health network, and founder

  • Nicole Allen

    Open Educational Resources Program Director at SPARC who helped with training and project planning

  • Nicholas Shockey

    Director of the Right to Research Coalition and of Student Advocacy at SPARC, who provided invaluable input at all stages

  • Medsin

    The Open Access Button is a Medsin programme

  • Right to Research Coalition

    An invaluable source of support, ideas and money

Many thanks to all of you who helped along the way