Commentary: Open Access to Research and the Individual Responsibility of Researchers‪.‬

Readers of Language Learning & Technology are undoubtedly aware of the debate raging through the international research community about open (i.e., free) access to research and knowledge. As readers of the journal, we may not feel very concerned with this debate, because when LLT was established in 1997 (and ALSIC Journal in 1998) it seemed natural that articles should be freely accessible from every part of the network. But this perspective is misleading. First, it is important to recognize that LLT, Alsic, and 2000 open access (OA) journals are the exception and not the rule among the 25,000 peer-reviewed journals. Secondly, like it or not, we are directly concerned individually as researchers at several levels. * As readers, we face potential restrictions in access to publications and data in our field as well as to tools that could support our research and teaching.