6/8/22, 2:39 PM 7 ways journalists can access academic research for free

HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL | SHORENSTEIN CENTER ON MEDIA, POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY

MEDIA

7 ways journalists can access academic research for free

A lot of academic research exists behind paywalls. We outline seven ways
reporters can get free access to high-quality scholarship.

by Denise-Marie Ordway | September 21, 2018 |

media

(Pixabay)

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Here at Journalist’s Resource, we’re big fans of research — especially the peer-reviewed kind.
We promote academic research as one of journalism’s most important tools for covering public
policy and fact-checking claims.

We also know it can be tough sometimes for reporters to find the research they need. Many
academic journals keep the published work of scholars and research organizations behind
paywalls. Newsrooms can’t always afford to subscribe, leaving journalists to find other ways to
access that knowledge.

Resourceful journalists do find other ways. Here are seven of them:

1. Visit the library.

Public libraries often subscribe to academic journals and anyone with a library card can read
them. The good news for busy journalists is some libraries allow their users to access online
databases of peer-reviewed research from any location. Ask a research librarian for help tracking
down research on narrow or specialized topics.

Some colleges and universities allow alumni to use their libraries. For example, Northwestern
University, located in Illinois, lets alumni and the public use its libraries in Evanston and
Chicago, according to Belinda Clarke, director of alumni engagement at Northwestern’s Medill
School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

2. Contact academic journals.

Some of the more popular journals give journalists complimentary access. The American
Economic Association (AEA), for instance, offers reporters free two-year accounts, allowing
them to read published and forthcoming articles for all eight of its journals, including the
American Economic Review. You can request an account through the association’s press page.

“I don’t think it’s something that’s widely known, but it’s a message we want to get out there,”
says Chris Fleisher, the AEA’s web editor. “We want journalists to know they can access our
journals if they like.”

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A bonus: That free AEA account also gives journalists access to the data that researchers used in
their analyses.

It’s worth noting that many journals will share embargoed copies of research articles with
journalists and alert them to new research on a topic of interest. You’ll need to check with the
journals to find out how to sign up.

3. Look for Open Access journals and platforms.

A growing number of scholarly journals known as Open Access (OA) journals offer their online
content for free to the public. Be aware that while there are many high-quality OA publications,
some engage in unethical practices and have bad reputations. A trusted source of reputable OA
journals is the Directory of Open Access Journals.

Examples of top OA journals include PLOS ONE, the world’s first multidisciplinary OA journal,
and BMC Biology.

Several online platforms also allow the public to access research at no cost. Unpaywall, for
example, is a free database of almost 21 million free-to-read academic articles.

4. Reach out to the people who did the research.

If you find a research article you’re interested in reading but can only find the abstract online,
call or e-mail the authors and ask for a complete copy. Journal abstracts generally include
contact information for the authors or, at the very least, an e-mail address for the corresponding
author.

Researchers usually will share copies of their work with journalists, which the journals generally
allow. Keep in mind, though, that it could take hours to days for a response. If a scholar shares a
pre-published version of an academic article, be sure to ask how closely it resembles the
published version and whether the findings are the same.

Another option: Researchers often post links to research they’ve authored on their personal
websites. Those who work for colleges and universities tend to list their published articles on
their faculty pages.

5. Call the media relations office.

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The media relations office of a university or research organization can help you track down a
copy of an article authored by one of its researchers. The staff also can help you reach the
authors as well.

The main drawback: While media relations offices generally are sensitive to newsroom
deadlines, they may be busy helping many journalists at the same time. You’ll find it’s often
faster and easier to reach out to authors directly. If you have trouble getting researchers to
respond, the media relations team is usually willing to give them a nudge.

Universities also send out press releases promoting new research conducted by their faculty and
research centers. Ask how you can receive alerts about topics key to your beat.

6. Sign up for alerts from organizations that promote research.

A number of organizations send out regular emails promoting new research and press releases
from a range of institutions.

For example, Futurity, a partnership among dozens of universities worldwide, highlights the
work of scholars in four broad topic areas: culture, health, environment and science.

EurekAlert!, a service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, distributes
embargoed reports, press releases and news related to science, medicine and technology
research.

7. Check Google Scholar.

Google Scholar is a web search engine that indexes research from various sources, including
academic journals. Oftentimes, Google Scholar will include PDFs of research articles in its
search results. Sometimes, the PDFs are copies of published research articles. Many of the PDFs
are earlier versions of an article, including working papers. (For more on the differences
between a working paper, a white paper and a research article, check out our explainer.)

While these earlier versions can be helpful, it’s important to contact the author before reporting
on their findings. The findings highlighted in a working paper are preliminary and may differ
substantially from those outlined in the published version of a research article.

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If you’re looking for more tips on research, check out our tip sheets on covering
health research and how to tell the difference between good research and
questionable research.

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About The Author

Denise-Marie Ordway
She joined The Journalist’s Resource in 2015 after working as a reporter for newspapers and
radio stations in the U.S. and Central America, including the Orlando Sentinel and Philadelphia
Inquirer. Her work also has appeared in publications such as USA TODAY, the New York Times,
Chicago Tribune and Washington Post. She has received a multitude of national, regional and
state-level journalism awards and was named as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2013 for an
investigative series she led that focused on hazing and other problems at Florida A&M
University. Ordway was a 2014-15 Fellow of Harvard’s Nieman Foundation for Journalism. She
also serves on the board of directors of the Education Writers Association. @DeniseOrdway

KNOW YOUR RESEARCH

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recognize high-quality research, and avoid missteps when reporting on new studies and public
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A project of Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center and the Carnegie-Knight Initiative, The Journalist’s
Resource curates, summarizes and contextualizes high-quality research on newsy public policy topics. We are
supported by generous grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation and individual
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