 The inability to access scientific literature freely can be a major obstacle in the advancement of science. Many reputable journals offering optional open access incur a substantial upfront payment to cover their publication costs, and hence many authors cannot afford to publish open access papers in a journal with an established reputation. Publishers charging for article-processing claim that the charge is necessary to maintain their reputation and costs for peer review, editing and indexing articles. Thus, some open access publications have a less rigorous peer review and editorial process. This article was authored by Barbara R. Conway and Hamid A. Merchant.