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Literature Review: A Historical Overview of the Open Access Movement

Alpana Saha, G Mahesh

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Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. 

Indian Journal of Library and Information Sciences 19(3):p 279-281, Sep-Dec 2025. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijlis.0973.9548.19325.9

How Cite This Article:

Saha A, Mahesh G. Literature review: a historical overview of the open access movement. Ind J Lib Inf Sci. 2025;19(3):279-281.

Timeline

Received : September 27, 2025         Accepted : November 13, 2025          Published : December 20, 2025

Abstract

This literature review provides a comprehensive historical overview of the Open Access (OA) movement, tracing its evolution from early ideological roots to its current state as a transformative force in scholarly communication. It examines the key drivers behind the movement, including the subscription crisis, the enabling role of the internet, and seminal advocacy initiatives such as the Budapest Open Access Initiative. The review charts the development of critical OA infrastructure, including institutional repositories and OA journals, and analyzes the growing influence of policy mandates from funders and governments. It also addresses the challenges and critiques that have emerged, such as Article Processing Charges (APCs) and predatory publishing. The conclusion synthesizes the journey of OA and presents a structured overview of its past, present, and potential future trajectories, highlighting both its achievements and the unresolved issues that will shape its continued expansion.

References

  • 1.   Harnad, S. (1994). A Subversive Proposal.
  • 2.   Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002). https://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative. org
  • 3.   Suber, P. (2012). Open Access. MIT Press.
  • 4.   Beall, J. (2013). Predatory Publishing Is Corrupting Open Access. Nature.
  • 5.   Lawrence, S. (2001). Free online availability substantially increases a paper’s impact. Nature.
  • 6.   Ginsparg, P. (1991). arXiv preprint repository.
  • 7.   Berlin Declaration on Open Access (2003).

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Cite this article

Saha A, Mahesh G. Literature review: a historical overview of the open access movement. Ind J Lib Inf Sci. 2025;19(3):279-281.

Licence:

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. 

Received Accepted Published
September 27, 2025 November 13, 2025 December 20, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijlis.0973.9548.19325.9

Keywords

Open AccessScholarly CommunicationBudapest Open Access InitiativeInstitutional RepositoriesGold OAGreen OAArticle Processing ChargesPlan SPredatory Journals• Open Science

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Timeline

Received September 27, 2025
Accepted November 13, 2025
Published December 20, 2025

licence

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. 


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