Making science accessible to all is vital for facing the complex challenges of today. Open science ensures that important research enters the ecosystem and has a real-world impact. At MDPI Books, our Reprints are a form of publication that helps facilitate this shift towards making science accessible and beneficial to all.

In this article, we’ll look more in-depth at open science, explain what a Reprint is, and demonstrate how Reprints advance the knowledge base for open science.

What is open science?

Open science is a movement that aims to democratise access to research and increase its visibility. Since the mid-to-late 1990s, there has been a growing consensus that research should be freely accessible to all. This came to be known as the open access movement. The consensus for scientific research is no different. The case can be made that for science, the entire world must have access to it.

The belief is that by making scientific knowledge accessible to all, there will be a greater wealth of reliable research and data available in the public domain. This in turn helps science progress at a faster pace. As a result, many areas of public and private life improve.

According to the Centre for Open Science, the three main principles of open science are:

• Transparency
• Sharing
• Inclusivity

This means making research visible, accessible, and usable, as well as involving and crediting more contributors to research.

There is a moral imperative behind the principles of open science. In an article published last year, MDPI’s CEO Stefan Tochev stated that open science is ‘a fundamental right for all citizens’ and ‘essential for crafting informed policies targeting real-world problems.’

MDPI is a leader in the transition to open science. Following the same principles, MDPI Books is also helping the open science movement achieve its goals. But how?

Reprints

Reprints are a unique product offered by MDPI Books. As we will demonstrate, they are a key type of publication in the dissemination of peer-reviewed open science.

A Reprint is a reproduction of a journal article or collection of articles. MDPI currently handles 446 peer-reviewed journals, with 72% of those having been ranked above average for citation impact factor in 2023. A Reprint takes selected research articles from these peer-reviewed, high-impact journals and republishes them, bringing higher visibility to the original research.

Reprints form a significant percentage of the MDPI Books program output, with over 8,900 Reprints currently available in our Online Library.

Although Reprints are published as open access, they are distinct from Open Access Books. The main difference between Open Access Books and Reprints is that the former present entirely original work that has not seen prior publication in academic journals, whereas the latter functions as an opportunity for previously published research from journals to be compiled and revisited.

Reprints make valuable content accessible to a broader audience, including researchers, students, and professionals who may have missed the original publication. In this way, Reprints are integral to the recirculation and promotion of accessible research.

But what makes this sharing of research possible?

Accessibility and adaptability of Reprints

The journal articles that constitute a Reprint are each published under a CC BY license.

A CC BY license allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon research in any medium or format, so long as the original author is attributed.

There are significant benefits to Reprints using this licensing model. For example, each individual article in a Reprint can be easily disseminated online, increasing citation impact. Reprint articles can also be turned into educational material by other parties, leveraging the visibility and academic integrity of research within educational circles.

With this accessibility and adaptability in mind, how do Reprints help open science progress?

How Reprints advance the knowledge base for open science

Reprints ensure that important research reaches new audiences and remains relevant and in dialogue with existing knowledge bases. This helps create a healthy research ecosystem where knowledge is consistently being built upon and improved. By doing so, Reprints help advance research, especially within the context of open science.

Solving real-world problems

Take for example the COVID-19 pandemic. The arrival of the novel virus back in 2020 raised significant health concerns around the world. Scientists needed to learn about the virus so that society could adapt and vaccines be developed as fast as possible.

The sharing of research, one of the founding principles of open science, was crucial during this period. Research needed to be produced and shared efficiently and easily so that the data could help save lives and inform policies.

Some of our earliest Reprints focusing directly on COVID-19 were published in 2021, within a year of the virus’s emergence. This highlights the accessibility and speed of Reprints when it comes to advancing the knowledge base for open science and helping solve real-world problems.

From Engineering to Earth & Environmental Sciences, Reprints also help advance other important subject areas within science and effect measurable change. Open science has been proven to have positive impacts in certain areas such as the climate and environment, social engagement with science and within communities, and policy and governance.

Preserving and safeguarding knowledge for future generations

The rate of knowledge production is only set to increase as technology and research progress. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to preserve and safeguard this knowledge.

Reprints offer a highly respected and easily accessible way to preserve this stream of knowledge. They can be stored online as easy-to-access free PDF downloads or available for purchase as print copies for use in libraries and educational settings.

Still uncertain about what exactly a Reprint is? Check out our article that delves deeper into the intricacies of Reprints.

Don’t forget to explore our Online Library, where all of our Open Access Reprints are readily available to access for free.