Researchers and academics are increasingly being called to work and publish “open”--in other words, to share their work freely with the public. In part due to the high cost of academic research publications, scholarly research is often only available to those with a university resource subscription in the form of databases or journals. This model privileges those with academic affiliations and more resources, but presents a barrier for the everyday individual. When research is open, rather than locked behind a paywall in an academic journal, the public is better able to access, utilize, understand, and share the work being done by scholars. As a result, the public can more easily benefit and participate in scholarly research and discourse.