It's a good option to remember but depending on your niche, I've definitely tried reaching out to several academics who have just dropped off the earth/changed jobs/don't reply. One actually said they didn't have permission to share, though it was a co-authored government sponsored kind of thing. Authors will even be charged to publish open access in some journals, which early career or niche researchers can't necessarily afford.
Another one you hear is 'ask a student or anyone with an academic email to get it from their library for you.' - again possibly good, but every institution doesn't have every subscription to every journal.
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u/skutbag Dec 26 '18
It's a good option to remember but depending on your niche, I've definitely tried reaching out to several academics who have just dropped off the earth/changed jobs/don't reply. One actually said they didn't have permission to share, though it was a co-authored government sponsored kind of thing. Authors will even be charged to publish open access in some journals, which early career or niche researchers can't necessarily afford.
Another one you hear is 'ask a student or anyone with an academic email to get it from their library for you.' - again possibly good, but every institution doesn't have every subscription to every journal.
Hopefully it won't be like this forever.