In previous times, the investigations were published in specialized journals and/or shared in person in seminars, conferences, symposia, and congresses. Although the publications should have reached people in all areas, the researchers were only available to those with specific interest in this kind of work who had access to them. Personal interactions are important to create ties and collaborations, but the opening of their research to the general public makes it necessary to expand the contact in which companies and industries are involved.

It was only about ten years ago that the opening of these findings to the general public was seen as necessary and the movement initially called Open Access (OA) was created (www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/overview.htm).

This movement discloses new ideas in all scientific and related fields - ideas which are necessary to spread among regular people, students and adults who want to be informed about progress not only in science, but in other areas as well. The first official movement became known as OA in the Budapest Open Access Initiative (www.opensocietyfoundations.org/openaccess).

This initiative regulates and organizes the objectives (i.e., policy, licensing and reuse, infrastructure and sustainability, advocacy and coordination) of scientists and professionals who are interested in sharing their work with the world.

OA was a necessary step to foster the increasing interest awakens by the great amount of information available and the high speed of scientific advances. The spreading and stimulating information through the Internet was the starting point for the scientific community to reach the world, including schools, universities, libraries, companies, and individuals. This connectivity today goes beyond the need of informing others about the scientific discoveries; it is necessary for scientists to connect with the real people needs and to establish a fluent communication among individuals with similar interests. The OA community will have the obligation to promote a new generation of scientists and professionals willing to share their achievements for the well-being of humanity, and consequently, accelerating new scientific answers for different problems, including diseases, pollution, climate changes, etc.

Before the existence of OA, people could only have access to certain journals and written material which were of primary interest to them through subscriptions. Because of the high cost of journals, much of the scientific research reported was only available to individuals and institutions with deep pockets, while financially disadvantaged individuals, organizations, and countries could not afford it. This initiative arose at a time when the print-based journal system was in the middle of a crisis, the so-called serials crisis (i.e., common shorthand to describe the chronic subscription cost increases of many scholarly journals). As a consequence of what was formerly stated, this initiative will lay the foundation that will provide a scenario for humanity to join together in a highbrow dialogue and journey for knowledge.

In order to seriously assess the impact that OA has and will have at all levels, it is important to mention the advantages and disadvantages of this system.

- Provides unrestricted access to peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles through the Internet.

- Distributes the articles via Internet, decreasing the distribution costs and widening the access to an increased number of people; reduces publication delays, accelerating access speed.

- Maximizes the research impact of scientific articles.

- Benefits users in developing countries, where currently some universities find difficult to afford journal subscriptions.

- Includes additional information as Support Information, incorporates 3D images and short videos with sequential images into the article.

- Online access requires Internet access, with the physical and financial barriers to access.

- Publication fees are charged to authors or to their agencies or employers.

- The perception is that since OA journals are new, uncertainties, such as quality and sustainability, may arise.

Despite being aware of the disadvantages mentioned, we must recognize the importance and advantages offered by OA. Thus, Journal of Thermodynamics and Catalysis becomes active to participate in this innovative worldwide trend movement. This journal is an attempt to put together an old tradition (i.e., spreading knowledge) and new technological era (i.e., Internet) so as to offer the humanity unprecedented benefits.