Open science

People want to share what they learn.

They share notes and data with others. This helps everyone learn more. It makes work faster for us.

Some people keep their work secret. This can make it hard to learn. This is why open science is important.

Scientists use new tools to share. They use the internet to talk. They can even use many computers together.

Some people help with science too. They are not scientists, but they help. This is called citizen science.

Sharing makes science better for everyone.

Open science is a way to share research. Scientists want to make their work easy to see. They share data, tools, and papers with everyone. This helps people work together.

Some things make sharing hard. Some publishers charge a lot of money. This is called a paywall. Some scientists also worry about losing control of their work. This makes them keep secrets.

There are different ways to do open science. One way uses new tools. This is the infrastructure school. It uses the internet to link computers. This helps scientists work on big tasks.

Another way is the public school. This group wants everyone to understand science. They use things like citizen science. This is when regular people help with research. Some people even use games to help scientists.

The democratic school says all knowledge should be free. They want open access to papers and data. They believe everyone has a right to learn. This helps the whole world grow.

Open science is a big movement to share research with everyone. It aims to make scientific work transparent and easy to find. This includes sharing papers, data, software, and even physical samples. When scientists share these things, they can work together in big networks. This movement helps people at all levels of society access knowledge. It makes it easier to publish and communicate what we learn about the world.

Sharing research is a step-by-step process of many activities. Scientists first collect data and then they analyze it. After that, they publish their findings and others critique them. This allows for the reuse of data to find new things. However, some barriers can make this hard to do. For example, some publishers use paywalls to charge money for research. Other scientists might worry about losing control of their information.

This way of working has roots in the distant past. It is a continuation of practices from the 17th century. Back then, the first academic journals were created to share resources. These journals helped meet the growing demand for scientific knowledge. Today, the movement grew from tensions in the scientific world. Some felt pressure to compete and keep research secret for profit. Others believed that being open and collaborative was more ethical.

Sociologists Benedikt Fecher and Sascha Friesike found five ways to look at this. The Infrastructure School uses internet tools and computing networks. They use things like the Open Science Grid to manage huge amounts of data. The Measurement School looks for new ways to see scientific impact. They use "altmetrics" to track things like blogs and social media. The Public School wants to make science easy for everyone to understand. They even use citizen science where regular people help with research tasks.

The Democratic School believes everyone has an equal right to knowledge. They focus on Open Access and Open Data for all people. This is very important for human and economic development. Finally, the Pragmatic School wants to make research more efficient. They believe sharing results early helps everyone work better together. This idea is similar to the concept of open innovation. By working together, we can make the whole process of science faster.

Open science, also called open research, is a global movement for transparency. It aims to make scientific research accessible to all levels of society. This includes sharing publications, data, software, and physical samples. Scientists use collaborative networks to spread this knowledge. The movement covers many different fields of study. While it is common in STEM, the term "open research" is used more in the arts and humanities. Some people also use the term "open scholarship" to include educators.

The research process involves several specific steps. Scientists first collect and analyze data. Then, they publish their findings for others to see. Other researchers can then critique or reuse that data. However, several barriers often stop this process from being fully open. Some for-profit publishers use financial paywalls to restrict access. Others use proprietary software that makes data hard to repurpose. Some scientists also feel a cultural reluctance to share their work. They may fear losing control over how their information is used.

This movement is not a brand new revolution. It continues practices that began in the 17th century. During that time, the first academic journals were created. These journals allowed scientists to share resources as demand for knowledge grew. Today, the movement arises from tensions within the scientific community. Some scientists follow ethical codes that require transparency. Other pressures lead to competition and the exclusive handling of research. Institutional interests also exist to protect information for profit.

Sociologists Benedikt Fecher and Sascha Friesike identified five schools of thought. The first is the Infrastructure School. This group sees research efficiency as a technological challenge. They focus on internet-based tools like computing networks and software. One major trend here is distributed computing. This allows scientists to use a network of volunteer computers worldwide. The Open Science Grid is a specific example of this. Another trend is the use of social and collaboration networks. These digital tools make it easier for researchers to coordinate their work.

The second group is the Measurement School. This school focuses on how we determine scientific impact. Traditional methods often rely on journal circulation or citations. However, these do not always reflect true article quality. This school suggests using "altmetrics" to measure impact. Altmetrics are new ways to track research through social media and blogs. They look at traces like bookmarks, shares, and discussions. This approach aims to capture the entire research lifecycle. Currently, the methods for using altmetrics are still in their infancy.

The third group is the Public School. Their main goal is making science accessible to a wider audience. One part of this is "citizen science." This is when non-scientists or amateurs participate in research. For example, some people use gaming tools to help study protein structures. This allows scientists to use a large volunteer workforce. Another part of this school focuses on comprehensibility. They believe researchers have an obligation to make results understandable. They may use microblogging to direct people to important literature.

The fourth group is the Democratic School. This school focuses on the legal rights to research products. They argue that everyone has an equal right to knowledge. This is especially important for research funded by the state. They promote two main ideas: Open Access and Open Data. Open Data advocates oppose journals claiming copyright over experimental data. They believe sharing data increases the efficiency of science. Currently, only about 25 percent of researchers actively share their datasets. Many cite the administrative burden as a reason for not sharing.

The final group is the Pragmatic School. This school views open science as a way to increase efficiency. They believe research is better when stages are conducted transparently. Researchers should share intermediate results across different institutions. This approach is similar to the concept of "open innovation." By sharing knowledge during the process, scientists can work more effectively. This helps the entire system of knowledge production move faster.