Open Access and Networked Science in Teaching-Learning: Bane or Blessing?

In this era of exponential growth of technology, new opportunities seem to arise daily for doing the work of teaching-learning more efficiently and effectively. However, each new opportunity also has inherent risks and challenges that concurrently restrict such work. With technology providing the opportunity for scholars and researchers to connect across time, space, and artificial boundaries, two relatively newer phenomena have emerged: open access publishing and networked science. In this column, these phenomena are explored. Although rich with opportunities, these phenomena are fraught with potential dangers for nurse scientists and faculty. Clearly, as new possibilities unfold in nursing science and publishing, wisdom is needed to assure the integrity and rigor of the research being conducted and what is published.