Sci-Hub ceased adding new papers around 2021, leaving no perfect substitute for accessing paywalled research. Free legal options include Unpaywall, preprint servers, ResearchGate, and email requests to authors, each with limitations. DeepDyve offers a paid alternative at $59 per month, providing access to over 35 million paywalled papers while linking to open-access content. However, it does not include works from major publishers like Elsevier. Alternatives like Anna’s Archive can be legally risky and unreliable. For those needing recent papers, combining free methods with paid subscriptions is often essential to mitigate obstacles in obtaining research.
