Sci-Hub: What Librarians Should Know and Do about Article Piracy |
| |
| Authors: | Matthew B Hoy |
| |
| Institution: | Mayo Clinic Health System–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | The high cost of journal articles has driven many researchers to turn to a new way of getting access: “pirate” article sites. Sci-Hub, the largest and best known of these sites, currently offers instant access to more than 58 million journal articles. Users attracted by the ease of use and breadth of the collection may not realize that these articles are often obtained using stolen credentials and downloading them may be illegal. This article will briefly describe Sci-Hub and how it works, the legal and ethical issues it raises, and the problems it may cause for librarians. Librarians should be aware of Sci-Hub and the ways it may change their patrons’ expectations. They should also understand the risks Sci-Hub can pose to their patrons and their institutions. |
| |
| Keywords: | Academic publishing copyright piracy proxies Sci-Hub |
|
|
