Open Science

Open science is about transparency, sharing, and inclusivity.

Transparency:

Making research visible

Sharing:

Making research accessible and usable

Inclusivity:

Involving and crediting more contributors to research

These principles aim to democratize access to research, promote equitable resource distribution, foster accountability and trustworthiness, accelerate self-correction, and improve rigor and reproducibility.

We advocate for lifecycle open science. There are open scholarship activities at every stage of the research lifecycle (see figure above) that individually and collectively contribute to improving science, with everyone playing a role:

Funders make open science part of the selection process, and conditions for grantees conducting research.
Publishers make open science part of the review process, and conditions for articles published in their journals.
Institutions make open science part of academic training, and part of the selection process for research positions and evaluation for advancement and promotion.
Societies make open science part of their awards, events, and scholarly norms.
Researchers enact open science in their work and advocate for broader adoption in their communities.

Open Science Practices

There are many different open science practices. Here are practices that are high priorities at the Center for Open Science (COS).

Registered Reports

Registered Reports is a two-stage peer review process that improves research rigor and reproducibility by reducing publication bias and prioritizing transparency and accountability.

Preregistration

Preregistration is a practice that enhances research transparency and accountability by requiring researchers to register their study's hypotheses, methods, and analysis plans before conducting the research, thereby reducing the likelihood of data manipulation and selective reporting.

Lifecycle Journals

COS is conducting a 3-year research and development project on a new model of scholarly communication called Lifecycle Journals to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses and suitability for transition into a scalable and sustainable solution.

Open Data, Protocols, Materials, and Code

Open data, protocols, materials, and code promote transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration making research content freely accessible, which enables others to scrutinize, replicate, and build on the research. Use the OSF for managing, archiving, and sharing research.

Open Access and Preprints

Open access and preprints increase the accessibility of research findings by making research articles and publications freely available to readers. Share papers via OSF.

Open Evaluation and Peer Review

Transparent peer review and open evaluation aim to increase engagement and accountability in the peer review process and throughout the research lifecycle, to promote a more open and collaborative research culture, and increase trust in the scientific process. Check out organizations experimenting with open evaluation and peer review such as eLife and Peer Community In.

Team Science

Team science is a collaborative approach to research that integrates diverse perspectives and expertise to address complex problems, offering benefits such as improved research quality, inclusiveness, productivity, and translation of scientific discoveries into real-world applications. See examples of team science in action.

Open Source Software

Open source software allows for collaborative development by a community of volunteers, provides cost savings, increased security, flexibility, transparency, and can be customized to meet specific needs. COS software is open source on GitHub.

These principles aim to democratize access to research, promote equitable resource distribution, foster accountability and trustworthiness, accelerate self-correction, and improve rigor and reproducibility.

We advocate for lifecycle open science. There are open scholarship activities at every stage of the research lifecycle that individually and collectively contribute to improving science, some examples are illustrated in the figure.

Everyone plays a role in advancing lifecycle open science:

Funders make open science part of the selection process, and conditions for grantees conducting research.
Publishers make open science part of the review process, and conditions for articles published in their journals.
Institutions make open science part of academic training, and part of the selection process for research positions and evaluation for advancement and promotion.
Societies make open science part of their awards, events, and scholarly norms.
Researchers enact open science in their work and advocate for broader adoption in their communities.