Open Science: Application and Benefits
Nancy Pontika
Open Access Aggregation Officer 
CORE Aggregation
@nancypontika 
What is open science? 
?
Pontika, Knoth, Cancellieri & Pierce. (2015). Fostering Open Science to Research Using a Taxonomy and an eLearning Portal. 
http://oro.open.ac.uk/44719/ 
Taxonomy high resolution URL: https://figshare.com/articles/Open_Science_Taxonomy/1508606
What is open science? 
The movement to make scientific research, data and dissemination accessible to all levels of an inquiring society. 
[FOSTER, Open Science Definition https://www.fosteropenscience.eu/taxonomy/term/7]
Scope: 
• Transparency in experimental methodology, observation, and collection of data 
• Public availability and reusability of scientific data
• Public accessibility and transparency of scientific communication 
• Using web-based tools to facilitate scientific collaboration 
[The OpenScience Project, What exactly is open science http://www.openscience.org/blog/?p=269] 
Open Science is here to stay
In June 2015, the Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas defined three strategic priorities: Open Innovation, Open Science and Openness to the World.
Open Science describes the on-going transitions in the way research is performed, researchers collaborate, knowledge is shared, and science is organised. It is enabled by digital technologies, and driven by:
• the enormous growth of data,
• the globalisation and enlargement of the scientific community to new actors (e.g. citizen science), and
• the need to address societal challenges.
[European Union, Research & Innovation: Open Science https://ec.europa.eu/research/openscience/index.cfm]
Research Lifecycle 
Idea
Methodology
Data 
CollectionAnalysis
Publish
Research Lifecycle 
Idea
Methodology
Data 
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Publish
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Where are we now in terms of openness?
Open Access (OA) : 
“Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. What makes it possible is the internet and the consent of the author or copyright-holder.”
[Suber, 2004. http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/overview.htm]
Routes to OA:
• Open Access Journals/Hybrid Journals
• Open Repositories: institutional & subject
[Suber, 2004. http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/brief.htm]
Idea
Methodology
Data 
CollectionAnalysis
Publish
Open Access and the Research Lifecycle
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Interviews,
Observations, etc.
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Numbers, 
Code, Text, 
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Opening up… 
Idea
Methodology
Data 
CollectionAnalysis
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Experiments, 
Interviews,
Observations, etc.
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Numbers, 
Code, Text, 
Images, sound 
records, etc.
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Versioning control, 
Storage & 
Management
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Management Systems
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Wikis, Blogs, 
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What’s the benefit for me? ?
Open Science requirement
Research results:
 
“each beneficiary must ensure open access to 
all peer-reviewed scientific publications” 
(page 4)
Research data: 
“A new feature of Horizon 2020 is the Open 
Research Data Pilot (ORD Pilot),
designed to improve and maximise access to 
and reuse of research data
generated by projects…  The Pilot on Open
Research Data will be monitored throughout 
Horizon 2020 with a view to further
developing Commission policy on open 
research.”
(page 7)
Report URL: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/hi/oa_pilot/h2020-hi-oa-pilot-guide_en.pdf
A taste of UK funders’ open access policies
HEFCE/REF
“The policy states that, to be eligible for submission to the post-2014 REF, 
authors’ outputs must have been deposited in an institutional or subject 
repository. Deposited material should be discoverable, and free to read 
and download, for anyone with an internet connection.”
[http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2014/201407/]
RCUK
“The Research Councils work to ensure that the public investment in 
research secures the maximum economic and societal return. One of the   
ways of achieving this is through Open Access. The RCUK Policy on Open 
Access aims to achieve immediate, unrestricted, on line access to peer‐ ‐
reviewed and published research papers, free of any access charge.”   
[http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/RCUK-prod/assets/documents/documents/RCUKOpenAccessPolicy.pdf]
UK funders’ Data Policies
Source: [http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/policy-and-legal/overview-funders-data-policies]
Research and Social Impact 
Research Excellence Framework (REF)
65%
20%
15%
Excellence – Impact - Implementation
Quality Research Outputs
Impact
Research Envir-onment
[Source: http://www.ref.ac.uk/panels/assessmentcriteriaandleveldefinitions/]
Open Science benefits for early career researchers 
You will: 
• Be pioneers
• Have gained valuable experience 
• Distinguish from the crowd 
• Plan successful research proposals
• Receive higher citations 
• Know how to comply with funders’ policies
• Comply with funders’ policies
• Demonstrate research and societal impact
[Note: see also benefits of open access for early career researchers 
http://oro.open.ac.uk/44720/] 
Benefits of Open Access to research consumers 
Source: https://core.ac.uk/  
Open Science benefits 
• Increase research efficiency 
• Promote scholarly rigour and enhances research 
quality 
• Enhances visibility and engagement
• Enables the creation of new research questions 
• Enhances collaboration and community building 
[Open To All? Case studies of openness in Research http://www.rin.ac.uk/system/files/attachments/NESTA-RIN_Open_Science_V01_0.pdf]
Want to learn more? 
89 events from 23 European 
countries
3678 participants in 45 events 
FOSTER events
FOSTER Open Science course
[https://www.fosteropenscience.eu/content/open-science-scientific-research
Thank you! 
Questions?
Nancy Pontika
nancy[dot]pontika[at]open[dot]ac[dot]uk
Open Access Aggregation Officer
CORE Aggregation
http://core.ac.uk
@oacore