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Researchers and students often face barriers when accessing scholarly articles due to paywalls set by publishers. Unpaywall is a browser extension and open database that provides a solution by making it easy to find and access free, legal versions of these articles. Unpaywall is designed for anyone involved in scholarly communication, including researchers, students, and librarians, who need to access academic papers without the constraints of paid subscriptions.

Key Features

Unpaywall harvests Open Access content from over 50,000 publishers and repositories, aggregating more than 54 million free scholarly articles. The database is integrated into thousands of library systems and search platforms worldwide, making it a widely used tool in the academic community. When a user visits a page with a scholarly article, Unpaywall's browser extension can automatically detect and display a link to a free, legal version of the article if available.

How It Works

The Unpaywall database is populated by crawling Open Access repositories, journals, and other sources. When a user installs the Unpaywall browser extension, it can identify when they're viewing a scholarly article and check its database for a free version. If found, it displays an indicator (color-coded based on the type of Open Access license) next to the article, allowing the user to click and access the article directly.

Benefits for Users

Unpaywall simplifies the process of finding free, legal versions of scholarly articles, saving time and reducing the financial burden associated with accessing academic research. It's particularly beneficial for researchers and students in institutions with limited financial resources. By providing easy access to a vast repository of scholarly articles, Unpaywall supports the advancement of research and education.