Taking advantage of open access to scientific and technical information and open science

Would you like to tap into the wealth of scientific and technical information that is vital to fostering creativity and innovation within your company?

In general, access to scientific and technical literature is a heavy financial investment, and is always the subject of considerable frustration: it is indeed difficult to retain all the documentary resources a company would need for optimal operation.

Efficient use of open-access scientific and technical resources can therefore be a strategic asset. Open access can be defined as "the provision on the Internet of scientific and technical documents and data that anyone can freely consult, download, copy, distribute, print and index" (GFII, 2010).

This fact sheet helps you get the most out of these "alternative" documentary resources through a number of steps, such as :

• clearly define your search topic(s) and find suitable keywords;

• use specialized search tools adapted to your needs ;

• set up an alert system (e-mail, RSS feed) to provide access to the latest search results.