What advantage does open access provide to readers?

Open access provides a significant advantage to readers by allowing broader and unrestricted access to research outputs. This model removes financial barriers associated with subscription fees, making scholarly articles and data freely available to anyone with internet access. Such accessibility means that not only institutional subscribers benefit from the research but also individual researchers, practitioners, and the general public can engage with the content.

This democratization of knowledge expands the potential audience, enabling information to reach individuals who may not be affiliated with institutions or who might not have access to high-tier journals. Consequently, this can foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation by connecting diverse groups of readers who may not have previously engaged with specific research topics.

The other options do not align with the fundamental principles of open access. For example, subscription fees being waived is true but does not capture the broader impact on audience reach. Additionally, restricting readership to institutions contradicts the open access model, which is designed to eliminate such limitations. Lastly, the concept that access is often restricted to high-tier journals does not apply, as open access allows for a wider dissemination of research across various platforms and journals without the usual exclusivity associated with traditional publishing.