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Global Open Access
Over the last 10 years gold OA has become the dominant type of open access increasing the volume of research available globally.
The opportunity to publish gold OA
In 2024, 80% of global articles, reviews and conference papers either were or could have been published as gold OA articles.
Scholarly discipline by access type
STM and SSH disciplines track closely in access to publishing OA
Available books via Research4Life
Record access to just under 239,000 books supports all disciplines across low- and middle-income countries.
Available journals via Research4Life
Critical research access to more than 56,000 journals increases participation for low- and middle-income country researchers
Access for low & middle income institutions
Almost 12,000 institutions have access to Research4Life with, on average, another 518 institutions added each year.
OA growth in Research4Life eligible countries
Research output in Research4Life countries is growing with greater opportunity to publish open access actively supported by waivers and discounts
Data availability statements
Encouraged or mandated by 81% of surveyed journals, data availability statements help ensure research data can be discovered, assessed, and reused more equitably.
Guiding Principles
Go back to where it all connects — the Equity in Open Research homepage.
The Latest from STM
AI disclosure in research: towards a global reporting standard
Transparency about how AI contributed to research outputs is an important aspect of research integrity. As approaches to disclosing AI use vary widely across disciplines, regions, and publication cultures, you may recall STM’s previous engagement on this topic. In September of 2025, STM released the report Recommendations for a Classification of AI Use in Academic…
Research4Life turns 25
When six publishers and the World Health Organization signed a three-year agreement in July 2001, one journalist predicted its significance would only become clear “in the long run – say, 25 years from now.” That moment has arrived. Research4Life is now a partnership of more than 200 publishers providing access to more than 250,000 journals,…
STM joins the research community in defense of independent scholarly communication and merit review
STM has submitted comments to the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) opposing proposed changes to federal grant regulations that would undermine independent expert review, scholarly communication, and the dissemination of research findings. It joins a broad coalition of universities, scientific societies, publishers, libraries, and research organisations that have expressed concern that the…
Community Perspectives Celebrate Digital Preservation of the Scholarly Record: Second Honoree of The Rosenblum Award For Scholarly Publishing Impact
A new documentary video released by The Rosenblum Award for Scholarly Publishing Impact celebrates the digital preservation of the scholarly record, the invisible infrastructure that keeps research reliable, accessible and secure for generations to come. Featuring leaders from CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, Portico, Lyrasis, the ISSN International Centre, the Digital Preservation Coalition, the Training Centre in Communication…