Whenever we browse online journals, publications, new sites, there is a good chance you will be restricted as to the number of articles you can access, or access any at all. You will be confronted with the required subscription request. With the demise of print media, these sources had to figure out a way to generate more online revenue other than with advertising only.
A paywall is a method used by websites to restrict access to content unless the user pays for a subscription or makes a purchase. There are three types of paywalls; Hard, Soft, Metered. These allow complete restriction, limited restriction, and a limited number of times the sites can be accessed.
The legality of bypassing a paywall is a grey area, mainly pertaining to how you will use the material once you get behind the paywall. I recommend using your school or public library online portal. Just by having a public library card or private network access, there are many publications, journals available offering unrestricted access, paid for by the governing body of the library. There are several online working sites to where you can copy and paste the url of the restricted site, which will open it behind the paywall. Here are some:
There are lots of browser extensions that allow you to bypass paywalls on many websites. For academic articles, Unpaywall (Firefox, Chrome) is a good choice. For Chrome or Edge, you can also try Postlight Reader, which can also do you the favor of cleaning away the clutter of ads and generally making online content easier to read.
ENJOY!
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