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OPEN ACCESS

• Open Access
• What is Open Access?
• PLoS Open Access Resources
• Other Open Access Resources

We are very pleased that this paper has received the citations it has, in part because in a small way it validates the open access publishing model." — James C. Carrington and Zhixin Xie, whose paper in PLoS Biology was picked as a Thompson-ISI "Fast Breaking Paper" (December 2005)

Open Access

Everything we publish is freely available online throughout the world, for you to read, download, copy, distribute, and use (with attribution) any way you wish. No permission required. Read a detailed definition of Open Access.

Why is Open Access Important?

Published research results and ideas are the foundation for future progress in science and medicine. Open Access publishing therefore leads to wider dissemination of information and increased efficiency in science, by providing:

• Open Access To Ideas.
  Whether you are a patient seeking health information, an educator wishing to enliven a lesson plan, or a researcher looking to formulate a hypothesis, making papers freely available online provides you with the most current peer-reviewed scientific information and discoveries.
• Open Access To The Broadest Audience.
  As a researcher, publishing in an open access journal allows anyone with an interest in your work to read it - and that translates into increased usage and impact.