Combating Misinformation in the Open Access Era

Abstract

Since the early 21st century, the scholarly community has struggled with the rising cost of scientific publications and issues related to the accessibility and dissemination of scientific work and research results to the wider community. Maintaining a high quality of scientific publications and lowering the cost led to the emergence of the open access (OA) movement. OA has appeared as an essential resource to make scholarly publications available to a broader audience in the last two decades, aiming to improve access to scientific knowledge. However, the onset of the internet and social media has given rise to a tide of misinformation, resulting in diminishing trust in science. This chapter discusses the importance of OA as a trusted source in combating misinformation and adopting strategies for sustaining the OA business models. Additionally, this chapter draws on the social psychology literature and the “inoculation theory” to reason why OA as a credible source of information can protect us against misinformation.