#Thaianalysis

In a landmark shift that began this summer, a policy originally designed to accelerate access to publicly funded science has unleashed a costly cascade for researchers and the publishers who serve them. The latest survey of open-access dynamics shows that making research freely available immediately—while laudable in principle—can come with substantial price tags for authors, funders, and institutions. The story—first reported through researchers who found themselves staring at article-processing charges in the thousands of dollars—highlights a core tension at the heart of modern science: openness versus affordability, and who pays for it.