I saw a post recently from a younger student that said something like this:

“Yo, mad respect to all you college graduates who went through school without Google.”

I laughed, and then I really thought about it. Wow, Google, as well as the ability to search online, has absolutely revolutionized education. You can get information in a matter of seconds. What is different, though, is the validity of such information. The general rule of thumb is that the library has good stuff, right? That same rule cannot be applied to the internet.

I think it is imperative that educators in this new realm teach research tactics in the 21st century. Learning how to decipher the good from the bad is something that all students need help with, especially if they are new to research.

OMICS International seems huge, as does the specific engineering part you chose. I think it’s interesting how the area of study can impact the size of the open access journals and/or the amount available to people. For example, my area of study is very small, and there is really only one small journal available.

The Bethesda Statement provides a great description of what open access really means. It contextualizes it and gives great reasoning. I appreciate you providing that.