Promoting awareness of open access publishing in speech-language therapy and audiology: Lessons from multilingual language assessment research

Abstract

Access to speech-language therapy (SLT) and audiology (AUD) research is critical for clinicians, researchers, policymakers and the public to fulfil the professional scope of practice, support advocacy and enable evidence-based service delivery. However, research locked behind paywalls disproportionately limits access for underserved communities and for clinician–researchers seeking tools in languages with scarce resources. Limited access to clinically applicable research disproportionately affects individuals needing SLT and/or AUD services in under-resourced languages and populations, where contextualised, high-quality evidence is most needed. The authors advocate for open access (OA) publishing as a critical strategy to improve access to research in SLT and AUD. Open access publishing promotes more equitable dissemination of information, potentially fostering inclusion, innovation and informed clinical decision-making. This perspective calls for the clinician–researcher to become aware of the different OA models and how to access their benefits. Furthermore, we encourage advocacy amongst key stakeholders, highlighting how collaborative efforts may strengthen the move towards increased OA publishing.
Contribution: This article contributes to the growing dialogue on decolonising knowledge and democratising access within the health sciences. By promoting OA publishing, the fields of SLT and AUD can help dismantle structural inequities in knowledge dissemination, support local and global clinical relevance and improve the quality of service for multilingual and underserved communities worldwide. We specifically call on South African clinician-researchers to engage with OA opportunities and collaborate in sharing clinicallyapplicable findings, including implementation guidance, outcome evidence, and contextual considerations for assessment and intervention in South African languages.