Unpaywall

Unpaywall

Unpaywall is a free, legal research tool that helps you find and access academic articles and papers that are free to read online. It integrates seamlessly with web browsers to scan for open access versions of paywalled articles as you browse.
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academic-articles open-access research browser-extension

Unpaywall: Free Academic Research Tool

Free legal research tool to find and access free academic articles, papers & open access versions of paywalled content as you browse

What is Unpaywall?

Unpaywall is a free, open-source web browser extension and research tool that helps scholars, researchers, and curious readers find and access academic papers and articles that are legally available for free online.

It works by automatically scanning millions of academic publications as you browse the web for an open access version of paywalled articles. If an OA version exists in its database of over 20 million publications, Unpaywall will display an unobstrusive tab or icon in your browser allowing one-click access.

Developed as a project of non-profit research lab Impactstory, Unpaywall utilizes machine learning algorithms and data from thousands of academic publishers and repositories to deliver seamless access to legally-hosted open access scholarship. It aims to facilitate wider distribution of and engagement with academic research.

As the majority of contemporary research publications reside behind subscription paywalls, Unpaywall helps scholars circumvent traditional publishing barriers and subscription costs to access, share, and build upon current scholarship and scientific knowledge.

The service integrates with browsers via an extension or bookmarklet and most major scholarly databases and publisher sites. It delivers a simplified and streamlined OA identification and access experience, promoting open research practices for students, academics, scientists, and lay readers.

Unpaywall Features

Features

  1. Finds free, open access versions of paywalled academic articles and papers
  2. Integrates with web browsers to scan for open access versions as you browse
  3. Provides access to a database of over 20 million open access articles
  4. Supports a wide range of academic disciplines
  5. Offers a browser extension for easy access to open access content

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

Free to use

Legally accesses open access content

Saves time and money by finding free alternatives to paywalled articles

Supports a wide range of research needs

Convenient browser integration

Cons

May not find open access versions for all paywalled articles

Database coverage may not be comprehensive for all research areas

Reliance on third-party data sources and integrations


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