How Open Science Is Shaping Research Workflow

Part business model, part ideology, Open Science emphasizes collaboration and transparency for research and research-related publications.

Academic and scientific research moves methodically downstream from lab bench and laptop to data repositories and peer-reviewed journals, then finally to public and professional audiences. This workflow shapes – and is shaped by – policies and mandates of private funders and government agencies.

Making science “open” will see information about discoveries and related data become freely available, under terms that enable re-use, redistribution and reproduction. As Open Science principles increasingly prevail, what are the challenges? How will research be transformed?

Martin Delahunty, managing director of Inspiring STEM, an independent scholarly academic and scientific publishing consultancy, has recently undertaken research that explores academic research workflows in support of open science. Delahunty’s findings identify important pain points and the potential impact of such new initiatives.

“There is a continued refinement in the definition of open science and increased focus on researcher workflows and practical solutions,” Delahunty tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

“We will continue to see the national and international evolvement of data repositories with improved workflow efficiencies and wider repository integration. This includes exploiting new technologies and to improve discovery and reporting mechanisms,” he says.