Pushing Past the Paywall: Accessing Open Peer-Reviewed Research

Abstract

Effective teaching and special education programming should be informed by scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. However, many peer-reviewed articles are not freely accessible by practitioners, creating a significant obstacle to special educators informing their practice with research findings. Fortunately, the number of peer-reviewed articles that are openly accessible on the internet is growing. In this article, we describe types of peer-reviewed articles that might be particularly helpful for special educators to access, discuss different types of open-access publishing, provide guidance for searching for open-access publications using four search tools, and model how to email authors directly for articles that are not openly accessible.

Open-Access Publishing in Special Education and Related Fields: Making Scholarship Freely Available to All

“…Limited access to peer-reviewed literature slows scientific progress (Adelson et al, 2019) and perpetuates the ongoing research-to-practice gap in special education and related fields (e.g., Cook et al, 2023). Simply stated, the special education community cannot base practice and policy on research without full access to publications reporting research findings, synthesizing research findings, and providing guidance on implementing research-based practices.…”