Free Quote by Alexandra Elbakyan
“Elsevier operates by racket: if you do not send money, you will not read any papers. On my website, any person can read as many papers as they want for free, and sending donations is their free will. Why Elsevier cannot work like this, I wonder?”
About This Quote
Source Blog: Sci-Hub launch announcement, 2011
Open access challenges paywalls, arguing that knowledge should be free and funded by voluntary donations.
In simple terms: Knowledge should be free, not sold.
Key Takeaway
Support open access models.
Themes
access
ethics
publishing
activism
economics
Mood
frustrated
determined
hopeful
Type
activist
critical
persuasive
When to use this quote
- Researchers needing papers
- students on limited budgets
- libraries facing subscription crises
Key Concepts
Open access
donation models
intellectual property
Questions to Reflect On
- How can voluntary donations reliably fund large publishing ecosystems?
- What incentives could motivate publishers to adopt open models?
A Different Perspective
Sustainable funding for free access is uncertain.
