Open science

Open science (also known as open research) is the movement to make scientific research, including publications, data, physical samples, software, and models, transparent and accessible to all levels of society through collaborative networks. This encompasses practices such as publishing open research, campaigning for open access, encouraging scientists to practice open-notebook science (such as openly sharing data and code and now open hardware to enable replication of physical experiments), broader dissemination and public engagement in science, and generally making it easier to publish, access, and communicate scientific knowledge. Usage of the term varies substantially across disciplines, with a notable prevalence in the STEM disciplines. The term 'open research' has gained currency as a broader alternative to 'open science,' encompassing the humanities and arts alongside traditional scientific disciplines. The primary focus connecting all disciplines is the widespread uptake of new technologies and tools, and the underlying ecology of the production, dissemination and reception of knowledge from a research-based point-of-view. The term 'open scholarship' has also been proposed to include research from the arts and humanities as well as the different roles and practices that researchers perform as educators and communicators. Open science can be seen as continuing, rather than revolutionizing, practices that began in the 17th century with the academic journal, which enabled scientists to share resources in response to growing societal demand for scientific knowledge. The Open Science movement emerged primarily from tensions within science between professional ethical codes prescribing transparency and collaborativeness on the one hand and competitive pressures leading to a focus on research article output and the exclusive handling of research on the other. Institutional interests to protect proprietary information for profit added to the latter.