Thanks, Sci-Hub!

Finding discussion topics around open access that resonate with your campus community is often quite difficult. In general, authors can agree that academic publishing is broken, but when it comes to action involving negotiating with publishers or paying author processing charges for open access, it is a hard sell to move from talk to walk. One conversation topic, however, has been generating quite the buzz on Vanderbilt University’s campus. Sci-Hub is a crowd favorite when it comes to engaging workshop or meeting attendees, and never fails to generate lively conversation ranging from apathy regarding the website’s illegal status to absolute horror at the idea of their work ending up on the site. Sci-Hub has been the greatest discussion generator since the Science sting, and it often ends with the author recognizing that action can and should be taken to ensure readers worldwide do not have to resort to black open access simply to perform research. This talk will discuss the various angles one could use when discussing Sci-Hub and demonstrates how you can advocate for open access publishing by making Sci-Hub conversations a regular part of your engagement and outreach efforts.