UC contributes with recommendations for the equity of Open Science
Recommendations are directed to researchers, research institutions and funders
How to make open science more equitable? A paper recently published in The Royal Society Open Science journal presents a set of 30 recommendations to answer that question. The research, conducted as part of the ON-MERRIT (Observing and Negating Matthew Effects in Responsible Research & Innovation Transition) project identifies four core areas in which there is a threat to equity in open science practices, proposing ways to deal with them.
The study's authors argue for the importance of increasing equity in the context of open science (or open research), which aims to make research more accessible, transparent, reproducible and collaborative, ensuring that it is also useful outside academic settings. However, growing evidence shows that the ways in which open science is being implemented are undermining this goal.
In response to the areas of concern identified, the authors used a modified Delphi method - consisting of several stages of exchange with a broad community of collaborators - to co-create recommendations, aimed at funders, research institutions and researchers. The work was carried out in partnership with a community of experts from these three groups, among them, the University of Coimbra, represented by Jorge Noro, executive coordinator of the Institute for Disciplinary Research (iiiUC).
The process ran for four months and involved several rounds of brainstorming sessions, anonymised online surveys, presentations, discussions and debates, and reviews with the co-creation community. At the conclusion of the process, a set of 30 recommendations was published, presented in a stakeholder-driven summary entitled "Global thinking: ON-MERRIT recommendations for maximizing equity in open and responsible research", made available in 2022.
The paper now published in The Royal Society Open Science complements and extends the previous summary, situating the defined problem areas, explaining the Delphi model in depth and detail, and adding depth to the recommendations by illuminating central points of debate that emerged through the process. The recommendations presented by the ON-MERRIT project also bear a relationship to the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, with more specific suggestions for institutions and actors in the European research landscape.
The recommendations address four main problem areas: the resource-intensive nature of Open Science; article processing costs (APCs) and the stratification of Open Access (OA) publishing; obstructive reward and recognition practices in research and funding institutions; and barriers to social inclusion in research.
In addition to offering an overview of these issues, a detailed description of the co-creative process, and presenting the recommendations and the debates surrounding them, the authors discuss these recommendations in relation to others recently published. They conclude that implementing the recommendations presented requires global thinking, to ensure a systemic and inclusive approach to change.
About the project
The ON-MERRIT project was funded by the Horizon 2020 programme and concluded in March 2022. It focused on investigating whether open science (open research) policies and practices, despite the best intentions of those implementing them, could actually encourage cumulative advantages for some and disadvantages for others.
Read more
Read: Toward equitable open research: stakeholder co-created recommendations for research institutions, funders and researchers (The Royal Society Open Science)
ON-MERRIT public report of recommendations: Global Thinking. ON-MERRIT recommendations for maximising equity in open and responsible research (Zenodo)