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When I was a student in Kazakhstan University, I did not…

“When I was a student in Kazakhstan University, I did not have access to any research papers. These papers I needed for my research project. Payment of 32 dollars is just insane when you need to skim or read tens or hundreds of these papers to do research. I obtained these papers by pirating them.” quote by Alexandra Elbakyan
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“When I was a student in Kazakhstan University, I did not have access to any research papers. These papers I needed for my research project. Payment of 32 dollars is just insane when you need to skim or read tens or hundreds of these papers to do research. I obtained these papers by pirating them.”

Alexandra Elbakyan

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The author critiques high paywalls for academic papers, describing piracy as a necessary means to obtain essential research resources.

In simple terms: Paywalls block research; piracy used to access papers.

Key Takeaway

Support open access to scholarly work.

Themes

access paywalls research ethics piracy

Mood

frustrated determined

Type

activist informational

When to use this quote

  • University research
  • student projects
  • literature review

Key Concepts

Intellectual property information inequality academic freedom

Questions to Reflect On

  • What alternatives exist to costly paywalls?
  • How can institutions promote equitable access?
A Different Perspective

Piracy raises legal and ethical concerns.

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