The access to most peer-reviewed journals can only be obtained for a fee. Hence they are accessible only to those researchers lucky enough to work at research institutions which pay for them. The Budapest Open Access Initiative is dedicated to freeing online access to this valuable literature, by (I) providing universities with the means of freeing online access to their own annual peer-reviewed research findings through institutional self-archiving, as well as by (II) providing support for new alternative journals that offer free online access to their full text contents directly (and for established journals that are committed to making the transition to offering open full-text access online).

FQS is a peer-reviewed journal, which allows access to all published full texts for free. The feedback we receive from colleagues all over the world tells us what it means for them not to be excluded from the discourses of the international scientific community just because of limited financial resources. So we ask all readers to sign this important initiative and to help the cause.

For further information and for signing the Budapest Open Access Initiative please visit http://www.soros.org/openaccess/.

You may additionally download an Adobe file we prepared to distribute it widely on-line as well as off-line: English   German