Open science the answer, but is it perfect?

This blog post will not focus on what we learned during the open science, but my two cents regarding open science in general. Although I have reached the final stage of the Ph.D., taking this course was beneficial, and I wish I took it earlier during the first year or so, but that did not stop me from learning a thing or two from the distinguished members that are pushing open science forward in Europe.

Open science holds as a unique movement into making cutting-edge scientific papers available to the general public. Open science is transparent and accessible knowledge shared through specific tools. To name a few, OpenAire searches for forthcoming scientific publications and datasets through Zenodo to publish or explore datasets from different scientific disciplines.

With these tools, It encompasses publishing available research, campaigning for open access, encouraging scientists to practice open-notebook science, and generally making it easier to post and communicate scientific knowledge. As Rupert Sheldrake quotes, “Science at its best is an open-minded method inquiry, not a belief system.”

Thus, the main challenge is not open access or open data, but open mindsets that change your perspective into really contributing to our ever-evolving modern society even at the expense of personal benefits. If we stop and think about it, the aspect of collaborating with multiple early or senior researchers is desirable. That collaboration might lead to more meaningful scientific publications in general, just like a game where each player has their own set of unique skills.

Each can contribute to a piece of that puzzle with total transparency. The key here is transparency through encouraging the reproduction of scientific publications. However, nothing is perfect, and it is good to mention from a student perspective what is leaking in UC3M to push open science forward.

Usually, when we enroll in UC3M, we get a welcoming folder with a pen and a notebook to write on, but how about we also get a piece of paper or a notebook mentioning open science in general and its tools. Of course, we have the open science seminar, but this can come as a complimentary, especially for those embarking on a research master’s.

Honestly, I did not have any idea about Open science during my master’s, and luckily I was exposed to it during my four-year Ph.D. journey. I am proud to say that most of my scientific publications during the Ph.D. are open, from codes used over Github to datasets collected published in Zenodo through the Creative Common (CC) license. This will be the case as well for my Ph.D. thesis. Finally, I hope we all continue contributing to more open science channels and moving our society forward.