Open research
Encyclopedia
Open research is research
conducted in the spirit of free and open source software
. Much like open source schemes that are built around a source code
that is made public, the central theme of open research is to make clear accounts of the methodology freely available via the internet, along with any data or results extracted or derived from them. This permits a massively distributed collaboration, and one in which anyone may participate at any level of the project.
If the research is scientific in nature, it is frequently referred to as open science. Open research can also include social sciences
, the humanities
, mathematics
, engineering
and medicine
.
Projects on the internet that recruit large numbers of participants to carry out small tasks which are then assembled into a larger project outcome have delivered significant research outcomes, but these projects are distinct from those in which participants are able to influence the overall direction of the research, or in which participants are expected to have creative input into the science behind the project.
Most open research is conducted within existing research groups. Primary research data are posted which can be added to, or interpreted by, anyone who has the necessary expertise and who can therefore join the collaborative effort. Thus the "end product" of the project (which may still be subject to future expansion or modification) arises from many contributions across multiple research groups, rather than the effort of one group or individual. Open research is therefore distinct from open access in that the output of open research is prone to change with time.
Unlike open access, true open research must demonstrate live, online collaboration. Project websites that demonstrate this capability are starting to become available.
are dealt with by using either standard copyright (where applicable), releasing the content into the Public domain
or by releasing the content under licenses such as one of the Creative Commons licenses
or one of the GNU General Public License
s.
.
In June 2008 The Open Source Science Project
was launched in Michigan to invite members of the internet community to directly fund scientific research projects in exchange for researchers publishing their insights and research data under a Creative Commons license. In September 2008 the Open Source Drug Discovery Network was launched in India to combat infectious diseases common to developing countries.
In May 2011 Substepr was launched as an open research website that is designed to record methodology information across a broad range of fields and permit the open editing of that information.
While first attempts towards opening research were primarily aimed at opening areas such as scientific data, methodologies, software and publications, now increasingly other artifacts of the scientific workflow are also tackled, such as scientific meta-data and funding ideas .
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
conducted in the spirit of free and open source software
Free and open source software
Free and open-source software or free/libre/open-source software is software that is liberally licensed to grant users the right to use, study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code...
. Much like open source schemes that are built around a source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
that is made public, the central theme of open research is to make clear accounts of the methodology freely available via the internet, along with any data or results extracted or derived from them. This permits a massively distributed collaboration, and one in which anyone may participate at any level of the project.
If the research is scientific in nature, it is frequently referred to as open science. Open research can also include social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
.
Types of open projects
An important distinction should be made between different types of open projects. Providing open data is a necessary but not sufficient condition for open research, in that though the data may be used by anyone, there is no requirement for subsequent research to take place openly. Projects that provide open data but don't offer open collaboration are referred to as "open access" rather than open research. For example, though there have been many calls for more open collaborative research in drug discovery and the open deposition of large amounts of data, there are very few active, openly collaborative projects in this area.Projects on the internet that recruit large numbers of participants to carry out small tasks which are then assembled into a larger project outcome have delivered significant research outcomes, but these projects are distinct from those in which participants are able to influence the overall direction of the research, or in which participants are expected to have creative input into the science behind the project.
Most open research is conducted within existing research groups. Primary research data are posted which can be added to, or interpreted by, anyone who has the necessary expertise and who can therefore join the collaborative effort. Thus the "end product" of the project (which may still be subject to future expansion or modification) arises from many contributions across multiple research groups, rather than the effort of one group or individual. Open research is therefore distinct from open access in that the output of open research is prone to change with time.
Unlike open access, true open research must demonstrate live, online collaboration. Project websites that demonstrate this capability are starting to become available.
Copyright conventions
Issues with copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
are dealt with by using either standard copyright (where applicable), releasing the content into the Public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
or by releasing the content under licenses such as one of the Creative Commons licenses
Creative Commons licenses
Creative Commons licenses are several copyright licenses that allow the distribution of copyrighted works. The licenses differ by several combinations that condition the terms of distribution. They were initially released on December 16, 2002 by Creative Commons, a U.S...
or one of the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
s.
History
In 2005 several examples arose in the area of the search for new/improved medical treatments of Neglected DiseasesNeglected Diseases
The neglected diseases are a group of tropical infections which are especially endemic in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Different organizations define the set of diseases differently...
.
In June 2008 The Open Source Science Project
The Open Source Science Project
The Open Source Science Project is a web-based social business wholly dedicated to rendering transparent the 'black-box' of contemporary scientific research and increasing its accessibility by affording all individuals - irrespective of geographic, cultural, socio-economic, academic, or personal...
was launched in Michigan to invite members of the internet community to directly fund scientific research projects in exchange for researchers publishing their insights and research data under a Creative Commons license. In September 2008 the Open Source Drug Discovery Network was launched in India to combat infectious diseases common to developing countries.
In May 2011 Substepr was launched as an open research website that is designed to record methodology information across a broad range of fields and permit the open editing of that information.
While first attempts towards opening research were primarily aimed at opening areas such as scientific data, methodologies, software and publications, now increasingly other artifacts of the scientific workflow are also tackled, such as scientific meta-data and funding ideas .
See also
- Open access (publishing)
- Open DataOpen DataOpen data is the idea that certain data should be freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control. The goals of the open data movement are similar to those of other "Open" movements such as open source, open...
- Open educationOpen educationNot to be confused with Open educational resourcesOpen education is a collective term that refers to educational organizations that seek to eliminate barriers to entry. Such institutions, for example, would not have academic admission requirements. Such universities include Open University in...
- Open InnovationOpen InnovationAlthough the idea and discussion about some consequences date back at least to the 60s, open innovation is a term promoted by Henry Chesbrough, a professor and executive director at the Center for Open Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, in his book Open Innovation: The new...
- Open Notebook ScienceOpen Notebook ScienceOpen Notebook Science is the practice of making the entire primary record of a research project publicly available online as it is recorded. This involves placing the personal, or laboratory, notebook of the researcher online along with all raw and processed data, and any associated material, as...
- Open peer reviewOpen peer reviewOpen peer review describes a scientific literature concept and process, central to which is the various transparency and disclosure of the identities of those reviewing scientific publications...
- Science CommonsScience CommonsScience Commons is a Creative Commons project for designing strategies and tools for faster, more efficient web-enabled scientific research. The organization identifies unnecessary barriers to research, crafts policy guidelines and legal agreements to lower those barriers, and develops technology...