Frequently asked questions
- What is open science?
- How does openness relate to science and research?
- Haven't science and research always been open?
- What does openness in science and research mean in practice?
- What are the central themes in open science?
What is open science?
Open science is an inclusive construct that contains various movements and practices promoting open operations models in science and research. Open science has become an internationally significant way to promote science, research and the effects and impact of science and research.
Open science aims to make multilingual scientific knowledge openly available, accessible and reusable for everyone, to increase scientific collaborations and sharing of information for the benefits of science and society, and to open the processes of scientific knowledge creation, evaluation and communication to societal actors beyond the traditional scientific community.
How does openness relate to science and research?
Opennes is a central principle in science and research. It democratises science by:
- making it possible for a larger number of researchers to carry out research
- ensuring that decision-makers and citizens have access to research-based information
- providing opportunities for non-scientists to participate in producing research-based information (citizen science)
Haven't science and research always been open?
Openness and transparency have always been part of responsible science and research and one of its core values. However, certain current scientific practices are in conflict with the principles of open science and research. For example, publishing research results mainly in peer-reviewed scientific journals can advance researchers' careers, even though few have access to these publications. Moreover the results of publicly funded research should be publicly available.
What does openness in science and research mean in practice?
Open science aims for a process of change in the entire research culture. One of the main objectives is the widest possible availability of research outputs. Open access is ensured by using licenses that support openness. More broadly openness in science and research can mean, for example, a more open and transparent research evaluation or the involvement of the rest of society in the conduct of research through citizen science or company collaboration. The debate on what open science and research means is in constant development.
What are the central themes in open science?
Open science is a broad topic that covers several areas. At the National Coordination of Open Science, open science is divided into four areas:
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