Researcher attitudes to open science

This study investigated attitudes and actual practices of researchers to open science and the barriers that inhibit or prevent researchers from practising open science. It also explored measures research funders can take to mitigate these barriers.

For the purpose of this study “open science” is defined as the sharing and reuse of research outputs, in particular research data, articles and code. Through a mixed approach of an online survey and focus group discussions with researchers, we investigated:

Attitudes of researchers to the idea of open science, in particular sharing of data, sharing of code, sharing of papers and new models of publishing.
Current open science practices applied by researchers.
Barriers that inhibit or prevent researchers from practising open science in their research.

Researcher-focused incentives and motivators for practising open science.
Practical actions research funders can take to remove or mitigate barriers and maximise the opportunities for practising open science.

The research specifically targeted researchers funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Economic and Social Research Council, and provides essential baseline information to inform funders’ open science strategy.

Outcomes

Partners

  • London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Expert Advisory Group
  • Barry Radler, University of Wisconsin
  • Carol Tenopir, University of Tennessee
  • David Leon, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Frank Manista, Jisc
  • Jimmy Whitworth, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Louise Corti, UK Data Service

UK Data Service contribution

  • Principal Investigator: Veerle Van den Eynden, UK Data Service
  • Co-Investigators: Gareth Knight, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Anca Vlad, UK Data Service
  • Funder: Wellcome Trust
  • Dates: June – September 2016