Q. What is Sci-Hub?

Sci-Hub is a website that provides access to research articles and books, without copyright clearance from either authors or publishers. It is not considered an open-access platform, nor recommended for use.

Use of Sci-Hub is a breach of the Western Sydney University's Acceptable Use of Digital Services Policy.

All Library resources are licensed for Western Sydney University teaching and learning purposes only. Access is granted and bound by the University's Acceptable Use of Digital Services Policy.

Allegations have been made against Sci-Hub that credentials have been obtained via email phishing attempts and other scams.

Note: Sharing your Western credentials breaches relevant University Policies.

Alternatives to accessing scholarly content:

• Use the Library Search box which is a discovery layer that allows you to access all subscribed content and physical items that  the Library holds.
• Alternatively, you can access specific databases from the Library’s A-Z e-Resources listing or perform searches from Google Scholar.
• For access to an approved open access copy or an authenticated source for Western research, use the Research Profiles and Repository.

Alternatives to sharing your research:

Check the publishers’ guidelines before sharing your research on any social networking sites. Refer to the Publishing Plan Toolkit for information on promoting your research.

The following tools can assist with sharing research and  locating permissions:

• Jisc's open policy finder: Provides information on journal archiving policies.
• How Can I Share: Contains information on publisher guidelines. It includes a tool allowing you to enter an article DOI and advises if the article can be shared.
• Research Profiles and Repository: A collection of Western’s research outputs. It can include an open access copyright-compliant version of your research article (subject to publisher policies).

 For further information, contact your School Librarian.