Open Science: a new approach for research
Open Science is a paradigm that allows broadening the horizon about the scientific process, which ensures cooperative work through new forms of dissemination and expansion of knowledge through different tools and digital technologies. However, in order to adopt this Open Science approach in a “complete” way, it is necessary to adapt the current “scientific thinking” to all these new tools and methods that emerged with this approach. Open Science gives us the opportunity to work in a different way than we have done so far. Also, Open Science allows us to adapt to the digital age in which we find ourselves providing the necessary means to share knowledge with the rest of the scientific community.
Open Science promotes different practices such as Open Access, that is, the online publication of the output for peer review and with low copyrights restrictions; Open Data, which consists of the publication, free use, and redistribution of data obtained in the framework of research; and Open Source, which refers to the co-creation of software without ownership restrictions. The foregoing makes Open Science a perfect model for the sharing of knowledge in the scientific community that should undoubtedly be addressed and adapted in the different public organisms that finance research since it would allow the knowledge network to be public expanded. This approach can be easily justifiable, for example, in an educational environment where teachers or schools could use this knowledge, from which they are marginalized in their process and do not have free access to the result. However, we must be aware that adopting this paradigm implies a cultural change since the production of knowledge usually has incentives that close access, such as publishing in certain journals that are not publicly accessible.
As a student of a career in technology, the Open Science approach results in a very relevant and crucial point for my professional development and growth as a researcher. The course imparted at UC3M has helped to broaden my knowledge in this new field, which has led me to re-analyze the type of research I am conducting, and the type of researcher I want to be, and the type of research that I want to perform. This course has expanded my knowledge of the different methods and tools at my disposal, which help me significantly in the field in which I am developing. In the same way, it gives me a new point of view of what are the ethical limits within this new approach and to what extent knowledge can be shared, and how to share it without crossing the limits.
