Open Science/Week 11: Incentives for Open Science

Learning Outcomes

• Describe barriers that discourage researchers from adopting open science practices.
• List examples of how open science practices benefit researchers.
• Compare incentives to other approaches used to encourage open science, such as mandates and requirements.

Readings

“Point of View: Motivating Participation in Open Science by Examining Researcher Incentives” by Ali-Khan, S. E., Harris, L. W., & Gold, E. R. in eLife, 6.e29319, 2016, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. 12 pages.

“Point of View: How Open Science Helps Researchers Succeed” by McKiernan, E. C., Bourne, P. E., Brown, C. T., Buck, S., Kenall, A., Lin, J., et al. in eLife, 5, e16800, 2016, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. 19 pages.

“Sticks and Carrots: Encouraging Open Science at its Source” by Leonelli, S., Spichtinger, D.; & Prainsack, B in Geo: Geography and Environment, 2(1), 2015, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. 5 pages.

Discussion Question

What role should incentives play in encouraging researchers to adopt open science practices? Are they necessary? Why or why not?

Conclude your post with a question for others to answer.

Self-check Questions

1 What is the purpose of open science, according to the article “Motivating Participation in Open Science by Examining Researcher Incentives” by Ali-Khan, Harris, and Gold?

	To accelerate scientific discovery and application
	To support access to science as a human right
	To advance the careers of individual researchers
	None of the above

2 Which of the following features of the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) case study make it an especially challenging setting for open science? See “Motivating Participation in Open Science by Examining Researcher Incentives” by Ali-Khan, Harris, and Gold. Choose the best answer.

	It involves research on human subjects.
	The scientific culture of biomedicine is highly competitive.
	Commercial returns to innovations in this field can be very high.
	All of the above.

3 In “How Open Science Helps Researchers Succeed,” McKiernan and colleagues look at the costs and benefits of open science from the perspective of which party? Choose the best answer.

	society as a whole
	individual researchers
	institutions
	all of the above

4 The approach taken by McKiernan and colleagues in “How Open Science Helps Researchers Succeed” is best described by which term?

	ethical.
	moral
	utilitarian
	pragmatic

5 In “Sticks and Carrots: Encouraging Open Science at its Source” which organization do the authors (Leonelli, Spichtinger, and Prainsack) say is in the best position to train researchers on data sharing practices?

	learned societies
	universities
	funders
	software vendors

Bonus/ Alternative question

6 Which research method is used by McKiernan and colleagues in “How Open Science Helps Researchers Succeed”?

	literature review
	randomized controlled trial
	quantitative analysis of bibliometric data
	qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews