Pushing Past the Paywall: Accessing Open Peer-Reviewed Research

Effective teaching and special education programming should be informed by scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. However, many peer-reviewed articles, including how-to articles based on research findings in practitioner-focused journals, are not freely accessible to instructional coaches, department chairs, special education administrators, special education teachers, families of students with disabilities, and other interested individuals, creating a significant obstacle to informing practice with research findings. Fortunately, the number of peer-reviewed articles that are openly accessible on the internet is growing. In this article, we describe types of peer-reviewed articles, discuss different types of open-access publishing, and provide a six-step approach for accessing open-access publications.