When asked where they get most of their news and information about science, 20% of all Americans say they turn to the internet for most of their science news. That translates to 40 million adults....
The internet is the source to which people would turn first if they need information on a specific scientific topic....
The internet is a research tool for 87% of online users. That translates to 128 million adults....70% of internet users have used the internet to look up the meaning of a scientific concept or term. 68% have gone online to look for an answer to a question about a scientific concept or theory. 65% have used the internet to learn more about a science story or discovery first heard of offline. 55% have used the internet to complete a science assignment for school (for either oneself or a child). 52% have used the internet to check the accuracy of a scientific fact or statistic. 43% have downloaded scientific data, graphs, or charts from the internet. 37% have used the internet to compare different or opposing scientific theories....
PS: The report doesn't mention open access or appear to discuss any issues related to free online access.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 11/21/2006 06:28:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
