On January 11, 2023, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy proudly declared 2023 as the "Year of Open Science." By now, you've likely encountered the term "Open Science" on numerous occasions in recent months, perhaps also under aliases like "Open Research" or "Open Scholarship." It's essential to understand that all these names essentially encompass the same fundamental concept: openness.
With the formal designation of 2023 as the Year of Open Science, the Office furnished an official definition for this term:
"The principle and practice of making research products and processes available to all, while upholding respect for diverse cultures, maintaining security and privacy, and fostering collaboration, reproducibility, and equity."
Over the past few years, the research landscape has been gradually evolving towards greater openness in practices and scholarly output. Starting with the onset of the pandemic, we've witnessed and, for many, experienced this shift toward a more open research structure through governmental mandates, memos, and policies. These changes have presented researchers with the challenge of figuring out how to seamlessly integrate these, often unfamiliar, practices into their research workflows to meet funding requirements.
The encouraging news is that many researchers are likely already incorporating some of these practices to varying degrees. The key lies in identifying which of these practices can be enhanced or applied more effectively to align with funding policies.
A prevalent misconception that may deter researchers is the belief that practicing open science necessitates the adoption of every available practice. Instead, the strategy is to reshape your approach to and implementation of open science practices within your research, making them a natural and integral part of your workflow. You can explore ideas on how to implement these practices by visiting our Open Buffet page.
Our Libraries, alongside our dedicated Open Science team, are here to dispel any misconceptions, offer guidance, and provide the resources you require to navigate the Open Science journey successfully.
Open science practices fit within every area of the research workflow
This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0
