As scientists or developers, we often hear the concept of Open Source, but what about Open Science? Have you ever thought the Open Source concept applies to other fields? I personally thought projects that are scientifically inclined were Open Science projects and not Open Source.
In this article, I'd explain the concept of Open Science and its relationship with Open Source. At the end of the article, you'd understand what Open Science is and how you can benefit.
Introducing Open Science
Imagine a world where knowledge flows freely, unrestricted by paywalls or access to resources, empowering researchers and the general public around the globe to accelerate the speed of development and discovery. Here comes Open Science.
What is open science?
Science is the foundation for understanding happenings around us. Open Science is simply unrestricted access to knowledge, specifically scientific knowledge. It’s making scientific research, documentation, data, publication, and code accessible to the general public irrespective of financial standing and legal stand (without barriers).
Open Science fosters widespread scientific & technical knowledge through collaboration and reproducibility and enables a broad perspective to drive innovation.
Fundamental elements of open science.
These are goals and values that guide the practice of open science.
- Open Source; Software, tools, design documents, and product content are openly available for modification and distribution.
- Open Access; Analysis and research output, such as publications, articles, and white papers, are openly accessible to the public.
- Open Collaboration; Collaboration among developers, scientists, institutions, and researchers to expand knowledge creation.
- Open Data; Codes and data that are openly accessible to the public for further reuse.
- Open Education; Educational resources are openly shared to remove learning barriers.
- Open peer review; The global community openly reviews research procedures through open science practices.
Public feedback
The emergence of Open Science
The practice of Open Science emerged in the 17th century through the adoption of scientific journals. However, the modern adoption of open science practice began in the 21st century with the advent of technology and the growing need to make knowledge accessible. Open science continues to evolve today and is guided based on essential factors such as openness, reproducibility, and transparency.
Importance of Open Science
- Global impact by accelerating scientific discoveries
- Innovation by encouraging collaboration
- Inclusion by the general public engagement in decision-making and processes
- Reproducibility through the Open Methodology. This enhances the integrity of the work.
- Transparency allows a research output to be validated, ensuring quality.
Value of Open Science on a global scale
Open Science on a worldwide scale brings research work to a broader reach, further developing your connection, impact, and visibility. The value of Open Science on a global scale also builds ownership credibility. By owning credibility, such work receives a lot of citations and references, solidifying the position.
According to the Co-founder of Frontiers, Open science is the most affordable, simplest, and fastest way to deliver solutions for healthy lives on a healthy planet.
Open Science Initiatives.
The projects and movements that gather people and promote openness and collaboration are called Open Science Initiatives. They also encompass tools and platform that facilitates Open Science.
These initiatives cut across Sciences, Technology, and Art.
- Open-access Publishing
- Open-source Software
- Open Data Initiatives
- Open Hardware
- Citizen Science
Relationship between Open Source and Open Science
Open Science encompasses the principles of transparency, reproducibility, and open access to scientific research, code, data, and methodologies. While Open Source primarily focuses on the accessibility and openness of software code. The connection between open source and open science lies in their shared values of collaboration, community-driven development, and open knowledge-sharing.
By embracing open-source practices in scientific research, such as openly sharing research code, tools, and algorithms, scientists can enable reproducibility and encourage the advancement of scientific knowledge. Both concepts thrive on the collective intelligence of a diverse community of contributors, with collaboration and shared learning at their core.
Conclusion
Open Science is a practice that fosters innovation, collaboration, and creativity. Adopting this approach can improve your product, community, project, and growth as an individual. Open Science practice builds your individual experience and connects you with like-minded people. It empowers you as individuals and a global community.
If you are new to the term open science, thank you for taking the time to expand your knowledge. If you are familiar with the concept, welcome to the club. Please share your ideas and questions in the comment section. Thanks for reading👍.