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Over 50% of researchers have used scholarly piracy sites

Source: journals.sagepub.com

TL;DR

Researchers use various methods to bypass paywalls on scholarly articles despite open access growth.
In a survey of 3304 researchers, over 50% have used piracy sites at least once.
Piracy is less common among older scholars, those in high-income countries, and in life/health or social sciences.

The story at a glance

This study surveys researchers on how they get past paywalls for scholarly papers, including piracy sites like Sci-Hub and legal options like open access searches. Authors Francisco Segado-Boj, Juan Martín-Quevedo, and Juan-José Prieto-Gutiérrez from Spanish universities report findings from 3304 respondents worldwide. It comes amid ongoing debates on open access limits, first published online in December 2022.

Key points

Most researchers first search for open access versions when facing a paywall.
Over 50% of respondents have used scholarly piracy sites at least once to access papers.
Piracy use is lower in high-income countries compared to others.
Older researchers and those in established positions use piracy less often.
Life & Health Sciences and Social Sciences show lower piracy rates than other fields.
Non-users most often cite ethical or legal concerns, or say they did not know about such sites.
Survey also covers other options like asking authors, colleagues, reading abstracts, or paying personally/institutionally.

Details and context

The study highlights that paywalls persist even as open access expands, pushing researchers toward workarounds. It analyzes differences by age, career stage, country income, discipline, and open access support, showing patterns tied to access privilege and norms.[[1]](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/02666669221144429)[[2]](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/02666669221144429?download=true)

Researchers prefer legal paths but turn to piracy when needed, especially where institutional access lacks. Ethical objections grow with seniority and in certain fields, while unawareness limits uptake elsewhere.

Key quotes

None available from accessible content.

Why it matters

Paywalls limit scholarly knowledge flow, affecting global research equity and collaboration. Researchers in lower-income settings or early careers face more barriers, relying on piracy despite risks. Watch open access policies and piracy site pressures for shifts in access models.[[3]](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366201869_Jumping_over_the_paywall_Strategies_and_motivations_for_scholarly_piracy_and_other_alternatives)