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'''Sci-hub''' (or '''Scihub''') is a search engine for scientific articles, that bypasses ordinary [[paywall]]s. It has been claimed by academic publisher [[Elsevier]] to provide [[Copyright infringement|pirate]] access to academic papers.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Elsevier Cracks Down on Pirated Scientific Articles - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/elsevier-cracks-down-on-pirated-scientific-articles-150609/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref> The site provides free access to its repository of over 46,000,000 research papers and articles,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title = Pirate research-paper sites play hide-and-seek with publishers|url = http://www.nature.com/news/pirate-research-paper-sites-play-hide-and-seek-with-publishers-1.18876|website = Nature News & Comment|accessdate = 2015-12-06}}</ref> through a system that relies on .edu-proxies.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Jump paywalls, score academic research for free, share it without being busted|url = http://www.computerworld.com/article/2973494/security/jump-paywalls-score-academic-research-for-free-share-it-without-being-busted.html|website = Computerworld|accessdate = 2015-12-06}}</ref> The engine bypasses ordinary paywalls and gives free access to articles that would otherwise cost over $30 USD to access.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Elsevier acts against research article pirate sites and claims irreparable harm|url = https://theconversation.com/elsevier-acts-against-research-article-pirate-sites-and-claims-irreparable-harm-43293|accessdate = 2015-10-05|first = David|last = Glance}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = Netizen Report: Scholars in Colombia, Kazakhstan Face Legal Woes for Sharing Research|url = http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/07/01/netizen_report_scholars_in_colombia_kazakhstan_face_legal_woes_for_sharing.html|newspaper = Slate|date = 2015-07-01|access-date = 2015-10-05|issn = 1091-2339}}</ref>
'''Sci-hub''' (or '''Scihub''') is a search engine for scientific articles, that bypasses ordinary [[paywall]]s. It has been claimed by academic publisher [[Elsevier]] to provide [[Copyright infringement|pirate]] access to academic papers.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Elsevier Cracks Down on Pirated Scientific Articles - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/elsevier-cracks-down-on-pirated-scientific-articles-150609/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref> The site provides free access to its repository of over 47,000,000 research papers and articles,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title = Pirate research-paper sites play hide-and-seek with publishers|url = http://www.nature.com/news/pirate-research-paper-sites-play-hide-and-seek-with-publishers-1.18876|website = Nature News & Comment|accessdate = 2015-12-06}}</ref> through a system that relies on .edu-proxies.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Jump paywalls, score academic research for free, share it without being busted|url = http://www.computerworld.com/article/2973494/security/jump-paywalls-score-academic-research-for-free-share-it-without-being-busted.html|website = Computerworld|accessdate = 2015-12-06}}</ref> The engine bypasses ordinary paywalls and gives free access to articles that would otherwise cost over $30 USD to access.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Elsevier acts against research article pirate sites and claims irreparable harm|url = https://theconversation.com/elsevier-acts-against-research-article-pirate-sites-and-claims-irreparable-harm-43293|accessdate = 2015-10-05|first = David|last = Glance}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = Netizen Report: Scholars in Colombia, Kazakhstan Face Legal Woes for Sharing Research|url = http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/07/01/netizen_report_scholars_in_colombia_kazakhstan_face_legal_woes_for_sharing.html|newspaper = Slate|date = 2015-07-01|access-date = 2015-10-05|issn = 1091-2339}}</ref>


==Overview==
==Overview==
The Sci-Hub project started running on 5 September 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|title = About Sci-Hub|url = http://sci-hub.io/|accessdate = 2015-12-13}}</ref>
The Sci-Hub project started running on 5 September 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|title = About Sci-Hub|url = http://sci-hub.io/|accessdate = 2015-12-13}}</ref>
It was founded by [[Kazakhstan|Kazakh]] neuroscientist Dr. Alexandra Elbakyan with the goal to increase the spread of knowledge by allowing more people to access paywalled content.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|title = Sci-Hub Tears Down Academia's "Illegal" Copyright Paywalls - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-tears-down-academias-illegal-copyright-paywalls-150627/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref> The project's original domain, Sci-Hub.org, was suspended in November 2015 due to a court order.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Court Orders Shutdown Of LibGen, Bookfi And Sci-Hub - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-shutdown-of-libgen-bookfi-and-sci-hub-151102/|accessdate = 2015-12-13}}</ref> The project resurfaced again that same month under a .io domain.<ref name="TF-SciHubResurfaces">{{Cite web|title = Sci-Hub, BookFi and LibGen Resurface After Being Shut Down - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-and-libgen-resurface-after-being-shut-down-151121/|website = TorrentFreak|publisher = TorrentFreak|accessdate = 2015-12-13|language = en-US}}</ref>
It was founded by Alexandra Elbakyan from [[Kazakhstan]] with the goal to increase the spread of knowledge by allowing more people to access paywalled content.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|title = Sci-Hub Tears Down Academia's "Illegal" Copyright Paywalls - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-tears-down-academias-illegal-copyright-paywalls-150627/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref> The project's original domain, Sci-Hub.org, was suspended in November 2015 due to a court order.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Court Orders Shutdown Of LibGen, Bookfi And Sci-Hub - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-shutdown-of-libgen-bookfi-and-sci-hub-151102/|accessdate = 2015-12-13}}</ref> The project resurfaced again that same month under a .io domain.<ref name="TF-SciHubResurfaces">{{Cite web|title = Sci-Hub, BookFi and LibGen Resurface After Being Shut Down - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-and-libgen-resurface-after-being-shut-down-151121/|website = TorrentFreak|publisher = TorrentFreak|accessdate = 2015-12-13|language = en-US}}</ref>


The site has become very popular in less developed countries such as India and Indonesia,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title = Academic Publishing Giant Fights To Keep Science Paywalled|url = http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/06/academic-publishing-giant-fights-to-keep-science-paywalled/|accessdate = 2015-10-05|first = Maddie|last = Stone}}</ref> as well as Iran, China, Russia and Brazil.<ref name=":0" /> Providing access to research for less privileged institutions and countries has been Elbakyan's express goal in creating the site, stating that she similarly pirated papers when she did research at a Kazakhstan university, given the need to skim hundreds of papers.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Science "Pirate" Attacks Elsevier's Copyright Monopoly in Court - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/science-pirate-attacks-elseviers-copyright-monopoly-in-court-150916/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref>
The site has become very popular in less developed countries such as India and Indonesia,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title = Academic Publishing Giant Fights To Keep Science Paywalled|url = http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/06/academic-publishing-giant-fights-to-keep-science-paywalled/|accessdate = 2015-10-05|first = Maddie|last = Stone}}</ref> as well as Iran, China, Russia and Brazil.<ref name=":0" /> Providing access to research for less privileged institutions and countries has been Elbakyan's express goal in creating the site, stating that she similarly pirated papers when she did research at a Kazakhstan university, given the need to skim hundreds of papers.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Science "Pirate" Attacks Elsevier's Copyright Monopoly in Court - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/science-pirate-attacks-elseviers-copyright-monopoly-in-court-150916/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref>
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The site is currently involved in a legal case between itself and Elsevier: ''Elsevier et al. v. Sci-Hub et al.''<ref>"Piratentunnel. Verlage: Sci-Hub narrt Elsevier," in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Dec 16, 2015; {{Cite web|title = Why is the Media Talking About SOPA Again: An Explainer - Disruptive Competition Project|url = http://www.project-disco.org/intellectual-property/081915-why-is-the-media-talking-about-sopa-again-an-explainer/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref> Elsevier claim that Sci-Hub illicitly accesses accounts of students and academic institutions to provide free access to articles through their platform [[ScienceDirect]].<ref name=":0" /> The case is complicated in that the site runs out of St Petersburg, Russia making it difficult to target within the US legal system.<ref name=":0" /> Some see the case as a move from Elsevier's side against the free dissemination of knowledge and question motives behind Elsevier's simultaneous actions to provide free journal access to Wikipedia editors.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Is A Giant Academic Publisher Trying To Paywall Wikipedia?|url = http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/09/is-an-academic-publishing-giant-trying-to-paywall-wikipedia/|accessdate = 2015-10-05|first = Maddie|last = Stone}}</ref> A similar case is also being run against the site [[Library Genesis]] (LibGen),<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> which may be based in the [[Netherlands]],<ref name=":0" /> or possibly Russia as well.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Publishers win landmark case against ebook pirates|url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/988850e0-038c-11e5-a70f-00144feabdc0.html|newspaper = Financial Times|date = 2015-05-26|access-date = 2015-10-05|issn = 0307-1766|first = Henry|last = Mance|first2 = Media|last2 = Correspondent}}</ref> Despite seizure of the websites as ordered by a New York district court on October 28, 2015, the site is still accessible through alternate domains as of December 2015.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="TF-SciHubResurfaces"/> The site is also accessible through the [[Tor (anonymity network)|Tor network]].<ref name=":2" />
The site is currently involved in a legal case between itself and Elsevier: ''Elsevier et al. v. Sci-Hub et al.''<ref>"Piratentunnel. Verlage: Sci-Hub narrt Elsevier," in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Dec 16, 2015; {{Cite web|title = Why is the Media Talking About SOPA Again: An Explainer - Disruptive Competition Project|url = http://www.project-disco.org/intellectual-property/081915-why-is-the-media-talking-about-sopa-again-an-explainer/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref> Elsevier claim that Sci-Hub illicitly accesses accounts of students and academic institutions to provide free access to articles through their platform [[ScienceDirect]].<ref name=":0" /> The case is complicated in that the site runs out of St Petersburg, Russia making it difficult to target within the US legal system.<ref name=":0" /> Some see the case as a move from Elsevier's side against the free dissemination of knowledge and question motives behind Elsevier's simultaneous actions to provide free journal access to Wikipedia editors.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Is A Giant Academic Publisher Trying To Paywall Wikipedia?|url = http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/09/is-an-academic-publishing-giant-trying-to-paywall-wikipedia/|accessdate = 2015-10-05|first = Maddie|last = Stone}}</ref> A similar case is also being run against the site [[Library Genesis]] (LibGen),<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> which may be based in the [[Netherlands]],<ref name=":0" /> or possibly Russia as well.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Publishers win landmark case against ebook pirates|url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/988850e0-038c-11e5-a70f-00144feabdc0.html|newspaper = Financial Times|date = 2015-05-26|access-date = 2015-10-05|issn = 0307-1766|first = Henry|last = Mance|first2 = Media|last2 = Correspondent}}</ref> Despite seizure of the websites as ordered by a New York district court on October 28, 2015, the site is still accessible through alternate domains as of December 2015.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="TF-SciHubResurfaces"/> The site is also accessible through the [[Tor (anonymity network)|Tor network]].<ref name=":2" />


The [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] have cited the [[UN Declaration of Human Rights]] "to share in scientific advancement and its benefits" in support of Sci-Hub and sister site LibGen,<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/12/what-if-elsevier-and-researchers-quit-playing-hide-and-seek|title = What If Elsevier and Researchers Quit Playing Hide-and-Seek?|date = |accessdate = 18 December 2015|website = Electronic Frontier Foundation|publisher = Electronic Frontier Foundation|last = |first = }}</ref> and the lawsuit has prompted widespread criticism towards Elsevier.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/simba-information-five-professional-publishing-news-events-of-2015-signal-times-are-a-changin-300194611.html|title = Simba Information: Five Professional Publishing News Events of 2015 Signal Times Are A-Changin'|date = |accessdate = 18 December 2015|website = PR Newswire|publisher = PR Newswire|last = |first = }}</ref>
Alexandra Elbakyan have cited the [[UN Declaration of Human Rights]] "to share in scientific advancement and its benefits" in support of Sci-Hub and sister site LibGen,<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|title = Sci-Hub Tears Down Academia's "Illegal" Copyright Paywalls - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-tears-down-academias-illegal-copyright-paywalls-150627/|accessdate = 2015-10-05}}</ref> and the lawsuit has prompted widespread criticism towards Elsevier.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/simba-information-five-professional-publishing-news-events-of-2015-signal-times-are-a-changin-300194611.html|title = Simba Information: Five Professional Publishing News Events of 2015 Signal Times Are A-Changin'|date = |accessdate = 18 December 2015|website = PR Newswire|publisher = PR Newswire|last = |first = }}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 18:59, 17 January 2016

Sci-hub
URLsci-hub.io, sci-hub.cc
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Part of a series on
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Development and societal aspects
By country or region
Comparisons

Sci-hub (or Scihub) is a search engine for scientific articles, that bypasses ordinary paywalls. It has been claimed by academic publisher Elsevier to provide pirate access to academic papers.[1] The site provides free access to its repository of over 47,000,000 research papers and articles,[2] through a system that relies on .edu-proxies.[3] The engine bypasses ordinary paywalls and gives free access to articles that would otherwise cost over $30 USD to access.[4][5]

Overview

The Sci-Hub project started running on 5 September 2011.[6] It was founded by Alexandra Elbakyan from Kazakhstan with the goal to increase the spread of knowledge by allowing more people to access paywalled content.[2][7] The project's original domain, Sci-Hub.org, was suspended in November 2015 due to a court order.[8] The project resurfaced again that same month under a .io domain.[9]

The site has become very popular in less developed countries such as India and Indonesia,[10] as well as Iran, China, Russia and Brazil.[4] Providing access to research for less privileged institutions and countries has been Elbakyan's express goal in creating the site, stating that she similarly pirated papers when she did research at a Kazakhstan university, given the need to skim hundreds of papers.[11]

Lawsuit

The site is currently involved in a legal case between itself and Elsevier: Elsevier et al. v. Sci-Hub et al.[12] Elsevier claim that Sci-Hub illicitly accesses accounts of students and academic institutions to provide free access to articles through their platform ScienceDirect.[4] The case is complicated in that the site runs out of St Petersburg, Russia making it difficult to target within the US legal system.[4] Some see the case as a move from Elsevier's side against the free dissemination of knowledge and question motives behind Elsevier's simultaneous actions to provide free journal access to Wikipedia editors.[13] A similar case is also being run against the site Library Genesis (LibGen),[4][10] which may be based in the Netherlands,[4] or possibly Russia as well.[14] Despite seizure of the websites as ordered by a New York district court on October 28, 2015, the site is still accessible through alternate domains as of December 2015.[2][9] The site is also accessible through the Tor network.[2]

Alexandra Elbakyan have cited the UN Declaration of Human Rights "to share in scientific advancement and its benefits" in support of Sci-Hub and sister site LibGen,[2][15] and the lawsuit has prompted widespread criticism towards Elsevier.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Elsevier Cracks Down on Pirated Scientific Articles - TorrentFreak". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Pirate research-paper sites play hide-and-seek with publishers". Nature News & Comment. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
  3. ^ "Jump paywalls, score academic research for free, share it without being busted". Computerworld. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Glance, David. "Elsevier acts against research article pirate sites and claims irreparable harm". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  5. ^ "Netizen Report: Scholars in Colombia, Kazakhstan Face Legal Woes for Sharing Research". Slate. 2015-07-01. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  6. ^ "About Sci-Hub". Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  7. ^ "Sci-Hub Tears Down Academia's "Illegal" Copyright Paywalls - TorrentFreak". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  8. ^ "Court Orders Shutdown Of LibGen, Bookfi And Sci-Hub - TorrentFreak". Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  9. ^ a b "Sci-Hub, BookFi and LibGen Resurface After Being Shut Down - TorrentFreak". TorrentFreak. TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  10. ^ a b Stone, Maddie. "Academic Publishing Giant Fights To Keep Science Paywalled". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  11. ^ "Science "Pirate" Attacks Elsevier's Copyright Monopoly in Court - TorrentFreak". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  12. ^ "Piratentunnel. Verlage: Sci-Hub narrt Elsevier," in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Dec 16, 2015; "Why is the Media Talking About SOPA Again: An Explainer - Disruptive Competition Project". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  13. ^ Stone, Maddie. "Is A Giant Academic Publisher Trying To Paywall Wikipedia?". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  14. ^ Mance, Henry; Correspondent, Media (2015-05-26). "Publishers win landmark case against ebook pirates". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  15. ^ "Sci-Hub Tears Down Academia's "Illegal" Copyright Paywalls - TorrentFreak". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  16. ^ "Simba Information: Five Professional Publishing News Events of 2015 Signal Times Are A-Changin'". PR Newswire. PR Newswire. Retrieved 18 December 2015.

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