Advocating for Scholarship: Why Open Access?

The editors of the Journal for International Counselor Education have taken the decisive step to make this publication an “Open Access” journal—freely available to all readers with internet access. This article will set the context for choosing open access publishing in the current scholarly communication environment. Numerous factors have changed the face of scholarly publishing, creating an unsustainable economic model for print and subscription journals. Obstacles such as evaluation traditions in higher education must adapt as creators and users increasingly demand open access to scholarship online. Timely realization of the opportunities and benefits of the open access model depend upon proactive approaches by faculty scholars.