Barriers to Full Participation in the Open Science Life Cycle among Early Career Researchers

Authors : Natasha J. Gownaris, Koen Vermeir, Martin-Immanuel Bittner, Lasith Gunawardena, Sandeep Kaur-Ghumaan, Robert Lepenies, Godswill Ntsomboh Ntsefong, Ibrahim Sidi Zakari

Open science (OS) is currently dominated by a small subset of practices that occur late in the scientific process. Early career researchers (ECRs) will play a key role in transitioning the scientific community to more widespread use of OS from pre-registration to publication, but they also face unique challenges in adopting these practices. Here, we discuss these challenges across the OS life cycle.

Our essay relies on the published literature, an informal survey of 32 ECRs from 14 countries, and discussions among members of the Global Working Group on Open Science (Global Young Academy and National Young Academies).

We break the OS life cycle into four stages—study design and tracking (pre-registration, open processes), data collection (citizen science, open hardware, open software, open data), publication (open access publishing, open peer review, open data), and outreach (open educational resources, citizen science)—and map potential barriers at each stage.

The most frequently discussed barriers across the OS life cycle were a lack of awareness and training, prohibitively high time commitments, and restrictions and/or a lack of incentives by supervisors.

We found that OS practices are highly fragmented and that awareness is particularly low for OS practices that occur during the study design and tracking stage, possibly creating ‘path-dependencies’ that reduce the likelihood of OS practices at later stages.

We note that, because ECRs face unique barriers to adopting OS, there is a need for specifically targeted policies such as mandatory training at the graduate level and promotion incentives.

URL : Barriers to Full Participation in the Open Science Life Cycle among Early Career Researchers

DOI : http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2022-002

The Data Life Aquatic: Oceanographers’ Experience with Interoperability and Re-usability: Oceanographers’ Experience with Interoperability and Re-usability

Authors : Bradley Wade Bishop, Carolyn F Hank, Joel T Webster

This paper assesses data consumers’ perspectives on the interoperable and re-usable aspects of the FAIR Data Principles. Taking a domain-specific informatics approach, ten oceanographers were asked to think of a recent search for data and describe their process of discovery, evaluation, and use.

The interview schedule, derived from the FAIR Data Principles, included questions about the interoperability and re-usability of data. Through this critical incident technique, findings on data interoperability and re-usability give data curators valuable insights into how real-world users access, evaluate, and use data.

Results from this study show that oceanographers utilize tools that make re-use simple, with interoperability seamless within the systems used. The processes employed by oceanographers present a good baseline for other domains adopting the FAIR Data Principles.

URL : The Data Life Aquatic: Oceanographers’ Experience with Interoperability and Re-usability: Oceanographers’ Experience with Interoperability and Re-usability

DOI : https://doi.org/10.2218/ijdc.v16i1.635

Les revues SIC et les données de recherche : Une étude empirique

Auteurs/Authors : Joachim Schöpfel, Eric Kergosien

Dans le cadre de la politique de la science ouverte, les revues scientifiques jouent un rôle central pour l’ouverture et le partage des données de recherche. Notre étude porte sur 95 revues en sciences de l’information et de la communication (liste de la section Conseil national des universités [CNU] 71).

Nous avons analysé leur politique éditoriale en matière d’intégrité et de transparence en appliquant les 10 critères du TOP Factor du Center for Open Science aux recommandations et instructions aux auteurs. Plus de la moitié des revues n’affichent aucune politique dans ce domaine.

Les autres encouragent les auteurs à partager leurs données et/ou d’autres matériels, avec parfois des consignes pour la citation des données. Très peu de revues vont plus loin et exigent une telle transparence.

Les résultats sont discutés par rapport aux divergences d’interprétation et d’évaluation, par rapport à la représentativité de l’échantillon et par rapport aux choix des rédactions et éditeurs. Plusieurs pistes pour aller plus loin sont indiquées.

URL : Les revues SIC et les données de recherche : Une étude empirique

DOI : https://dx.doi.org/10.35562/balisages.641

Do I Have To Be An “Other” To Be Myself? Exploring Gender Diversity In Taxonomy, Data Collection, And Through The Research Data Lifecycle

Authors : Ari Gofman, Sam A. Leif, Hannah Gunderman, Nina Exner

Objective

Existing studies estimate that between 0.3% and 2% of adults in the U.S. (between 900,000 and 2.6 million in 2020) identify as a nonbinary gender or otherwise gender nonconforming. In response to the RDAP 2021 theme of radical change, this article examines the need to change how datasets represent nonbinary persons and how research involving gender data should approach the curation of this data at each stage of the research lifecycle.

Methods

In this article, we examine some of the known challenges of gender inclusion in datasets and summarize some solutions underway. Using a critical lens, we examine the difference between current practice and inclusive practice in gender representation, describing inclusive practices at each stage of the research lifecycle from writing a data management plan to sharing data.

Results

Data structures that limit gender to “male” and “female” or ontological structures that use mapping to collapse gender demographics to binary values exclude nonbinary and gender diverse populations. Some data collection instruments attempt inclusivity by adding the gender category of “other,” but using the “other” gender category labels nonbinary persons as intrinsically alien.

Inclusive change must go farther, to move from alienation to inclusive categories. We describe several techniques for inclusively representing gender in data, from the data management planning stage, to collecting data, cleaning data, and sharing data.

To facilitate better sharing of gender data, repositories must also allow mapping that includes nonbinary genders explicitly and allow for ontological mapping for long-term representation of diverse gender identities.

Conclusions

A good practice during research design is to consider two levels of critique in the data collection plan. First, consider the research question at hand and remove unnecessary gendering from the data.

Secondly, if the research question needs gender, make sure to include nonbinary genders explicitly. Allies must take on this problem without leaving it to those who are most affected by it. Further, more voices calling for inclusionary practices surrounding data rises to a crescendo that cannot be ignored.

URL: Do I Have To Be An “Other” To Be Myself? Exploring Gender Diversity In Taxonomy, Data Collection, And Through The Research Data Lifecycle

DOI : https://doi.org/10.7191/jeslib.2021.1219

La gestion des données de la recherche agronomique : de la science ouverte à l’histoire des sciences

Auteur/Author : Guillaume Tuloup

L’Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (INRAE) est engagé depuis plusieurs années dans le développement de la science ouverte.

Se positionnant aujourd’hui en fer de lance des mouvements d’ouverture, il œuvre à la rationalisation de la production, de la préservation et de la diffusion des données de la recherche afin de faire des sciences agronomiques des sciences impliquées, dans la société.

En effet, confrontée aux problématiques environnementales, sanitaires et alimentaires, la recherche agronomique est engagée dans une restructuration de la production des savoirs sur la nature et le vivant, à l’appui du numérique qui se fait environnement totalisant.

L’Institut étant particulièrement sensibilisé aux enjeux mémoriels et historiques, l’histoire des sciences peut restituer les conditions historiques de cette restructuration, en mobilisant elle-même les ressorts du numérique et de la science ouverte.

URL : La gestion des données de la recherche agronomique : de la science ouverte à l’histoire des sciences

Original location : https://www.enssib.fr/bibliotheque-numerique/notices/70173-la-gestion-des-donnees-de-la-recherche-agronomique-de-la-science-ouverte-a-l-histoire-des-sciences

Application Profile for Machine-Actionable Data Management Plans

Authors : Tomasz Miksa, Paul Walk, Peter Neish, Simon Oblasser, Hollydawn Murray, Tom Renner, Marie-Christine Jacquemot-Perbal, João Cardoso, Trond Kvamme, Maria Praetzellis, Marek Suchánek, Rob Hooft, Benjamin Faure, Hanne Moa, Adil Hasan, Sarah Jones

This paper presents the application profile for machine-actionable data management plans that allows information from traditional data management plans to be expressed in a machine-actionable way.

We describe the methodology and research conducted to define the application profile. We also discuss design decisions made during its development and present systems which have adopted it.

The application profile was developed in an open and consensus-driven manner within the DMP Common Standards Working Group of the Research Data Alliance and is its official recommendation.

URL : Application Profile for Machine-Actionable Data Management Plans

DOI : http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-032