The core idea of open access is the basis of its key advantage; the articles are freely available for anyone who wishes to read them. For authors, publishing open access rather than behind a paywall can help open up their research to a wider audience. In an era where the number of articles being published is skyrocketing, open access can help an article to be more discoverable online. And ultimately, an increased number of readers can convert into an increased number of citations for the author. The UC is currently negotiating with some of the world’s largest for-profit academic journal publishers, including giant Elsevier, to ensure that all research produced by scholars will be open access.
Reference Link: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/12/30/opinion-uc-is-leading-fight-for-open-access-to-research/