Introduction to Open Science

In the following video, I explain how the Open Science movement emerged from the crises of different scientific communities and clarifies why Open Science is not simply one thing, but an umbrella term that unites different approaches and practices.

This video returns to some of the ideas from the previous two weeks on the drivers and policies of Open Science, a topic which I pick up on and expand.

Key Points

• Open Science is part of a debate about the role of science in society. Declining public trust in science has led to an increase in calls for transparency and accessibility.
• Increasing public awareness of problems such as the climate crisis, have raised questions of what science can contribute to solve them.
• High subscription costs have led to a difficulty in accessing scientific materials for the general public and even some institutions. This has led to a movement around Open Access, which aims to modernize the processes around licensing, publishing and distribution with the aim of increasing access to scientific materials.
• Digital platforms such as Academia, Mendeley, GitHub and others make parts of the scholary process visible, as well facilitating greater networking between scholars outside traditional avenues.