Eurac Research celebrates open science
Sigrid Hechensteiner
! Barbara Baumgartner
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For the second time! the Open Research Award is recognizing scientific work that country email list to making research more collaborative and transparent and links it more closely with society. Experts Maria Bellantone and Liise Lehtsalu explain what has been achieved so far! what tasks lie ahead –and why scientific articles should not be the only yardstick for evaluating research output.
Open Science has many aspects: Sharing data and disclosing methods are part of it! but so is the participation of society. Is there a generally accepted definition?
Maria Bellantone: No – there are various definitions. But they all contain the same central values. Cooperation is one of them – cooperation within disciplines! across disciplinary boundaries and that includes other knowledge systems! and engagement of stakeholders and laypeople. It’s no longer just about communicating a sh t millennials and how technology has to them! it’s about involving people in the research process that leads to new knowledge. Inclusivity is therefore also an important value. Accessibility is another: if science is to be transparent! the methods and data must also be disclosed! not just the final result. This means that the methods! the protocols! the data! the code! the materials are also valuable outcomes of research! and sault data too should be accessible to everyone. Open science therefore goes far beyond the original concept of open access to scientific literature.
In relation to open science! there is sometimes talk of “revolution”
Liise Lehtsalu: Evolution is a more appropriate term. Science has always evolved. The move towards open science is not happening in a vacuum! but in the context of digitalization! in an increasingly networked world. Another important factor is that the amount of research data produced has increased enormously. The management of this data therefore poses new challenges for researchers; it needs to be more continuous! consistent and precisely planned. All of this requires a different approach! a new awareness.