Discussions of the issue of open access to research generally focus on publishers, journals, and library collections. However, in October 2017, a single piece of writing generated headlines when it was made available online with open access.
Arguably the world’s most famous living scientist, Stephen W. Hawking, made his doctoral dissertation available for anyone to read on the Cambridge University website. Dr. Hawking’s dissertation has historically been the most requested thesis at Cambridge. However, it was only available to those who could visit the University’s library, or were willing to pay a £65 fee for a scanned copy.
Timed to coincide with Open Access Week 2017, which promotes the adoption and expansion of open access throughout academia, Dr. Hawking’s decision to release his thesis was motivated by his desire to make research available to everyone around the world.
The announcement of the release of Dr. Hawking’s thesis was met with such enthusiasm that Cambridge University’s website was overwhelmed by visitors and was temporarily forced offline. It can be assumed that most of those who accessed the thesis cannot fully understand its content. However, by making this groundbreaking work available to anyone, we can ensure that those who do understand can access it and use the knowledge it contains to further our understanding of the universe.
Click here for the Japanese version.