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VOICES: The Value of Openness, Inclusion, Communication, and Engagement for Science in a post-pandemic world

Lead Research Organisation: University of Sheffield
Department Name: Information School

Abstract

While the coronavirus pandemic's impacts have been largely negative, and in many instances catastrophic, Covid-19 also served to bring about some positive changes in the way we carry out, communicate, and engage with science. More research has been shared openly, with a progressive increase in the use of preprints, research data sharing, and public communication of science, particularly in mainstream media. These changes have the potential to foster a more open and inclusive approach to research and scholarship and to bolster our capacity to face present and future societal challenges - but only if the changes persist beyond the pandemic. To better understand the long-term impacts of this shift for a more resilient and informed society, this project seeks to investigate and share new empirical evidence of the value of opening science, to other scholars and to the public, during and beyond the pandemic. It brings together a transnational team of scholars with complementary expertise in open science, scholarly and science communication, and research impact, to examine three main questions in the context of the pandemic and post-pandemic period: 1) How is the value of open science discussed and positioned? 2) Who adopted or contributed to open science practices and how? and 3) How has the relationship between research and the public been affected by the opening of research? Using a novel theoretical framework that considers open research and public science communication as interconnected along a continuum of access, this transnational team will employ a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods from social and information sciences to demonstrate the long-term value of openness, inclusion, and equity in the communication of science, while warning against any barriers and pernicious effects.
 
Description Studies from the VOICES project are still being produced. However, some outcomes have begun to emerge. These all relate to the main focus of the project: the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and open science. "Open science is a global movement that aims to make scientific research and its outcomes freely accessible to everyone" (Center for Open Science).

As part of the project, we investigated how the debate about open science (OS) had been affected by the pandemic, based on a range of publications, opinion pieces, blogs etc. The findings of our study show that many people involved in the debate believed that it was clear that the experience of the pandemic had illustrated or strengthened the case for OS. It was commonly believed that open science had played a positive role in the response to the pandemic, creating a clear 'line of sight' between OS and societal benefits. Our study showed that particular kinds of OS became a focus of attention, especially open data sharing and preprinting (sharing early versions of scientific publications prior to peer review). Such practices gave rise to debates about information quality and misinformation which were particularly intense during the pandemic. Our study also observed that there were moves, partly prompted by the pandemic, to reframe OS conceptually, particularly in connecting science with society and addressing broader questions of equity.

A further piece of work as part of the project involved consulting experts in open science and related fields, inviting them to reflect on how the pandemic had affected key issues associated with open science. The findings show that while many areas of debate remained consistent with the issues we have previously identified (open data, preprinting etc), the ways in which they were discussed exposed underlying systemic challenges. There was increasing recognition that the systemic challenges need to be addressed if OS is to progress. These issues include the scope and definition of OS; regional variations in its implementation; the relationship between OS and fundamental questions of the purpose and practice of science; and the need to reform incentives and reward structures within the research system. A more complex understanding of OS is required, which takes into account the importance of equity and diversity and the challenges of implementing OS in different cultural and geographical contexts. The study emphasises the importance of shifting scientific culture to prioritise values such as quality, integrity, and openness, and reforming rewards structures to incentivise open practices.

We have also conducted other studies including journalists' use of open resources in their work, investigating opportunities and barriers in this area. We found that while the pandemic encouraged journalists to explore open research outputs, such as preprints, the extent to which these explorations will become established journalistic practices remains unclear. At the same time, another study we carried out investigated the relationship between preprints and formally-published peer-reviewed journals. Since the pandemic led to a rise in preprinting, it has been important to understand how the providers of preprint services have developed their roles in this context. Our work has helped to provide a framework for understanding this rapidly-changing situation and shown how these developments could impact on the future of scientific publishing. The pandemic prompted organisations to rethink their position on open science and so we have also investigated OS policies internationally, particularly focusing on their positions relating to equity, diversity and inclusion. A further large-scale quantitative study on the impact of the pandemic on publishing patterns is also being finalised as part of the project.
Exploitation Route The project's activities have involved interacting with the range of different actors in the research community and beyond. These include funders of research, policymakers, publishers, technology providers, librarians, as well as researchers and others. We have also engaged with journalists and others involved in communicating science beyond the academy. Our work has contributed to ongoing debates about open science in all these communities. In particular, dialogue with funders, policymakers, publishers and preprint servers have been particularly useful in identifying current issues and discussing ways in which they can be addressed on an ongoing basis.
Sectors Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software)

Education
 
Description We are still discussing with key stakeholders how our outputs might be taken up and used. The project has involved extensive dialogue with different stakeholders, such as policymakers, funders, publishers and technology providers, including preprint server providers, which have been very useful. In some cases, representatives of these organisations have input into our work, and we have discussed our findings with them. These discussions are ongoing.
First Year Of Impact 2024
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education
Impact Types Policy & public services
 
Title VOICES Open Science Debate Content Accompanying Data 
Description Data supporting the study: Benson Marshall, M., Pinfield, S., Abbott, P., Cox, A., Alperin, J. P., Barata, G. F., Chtena, N., Dorsch, I., Fleerackers, A., Oliveira, M., & Peters, I. (2024). The impact of COVID-19 on the debate on open science: A qualitative analysis of published materials from the period of the pandemic. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03804-w. The data consists of a the research protocol, list of items in the assembled corpus and other appendices for the study. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2024 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact None known of as yet 
URL https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/PQSEQH
 
Description Participation in an online seminar on two aspects of VOICES research aimed at other researchers, policymakers and other practitioners, online, 24 January 2024 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact An online seminar, entitled, "Talking Open Science: OS debates and policies during the pandemic" took place online, 24 January 2024. It was aimed at researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Attendees included the policymaker directly responsible for the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation, who participated in discussion. Presenters included Stephen Pinfield and Melanie Benson Marshall, who spoke about the workpackage they are leading in VOICES on the international debate on Open Science, where we found that its advocates emphasized that the pandemic reinforced the need for OS, with attention coalescing around specific aspects of OS, such as data sharing and preprinting. In a second presentation, Natascha Chtena reported how OS was conceptualised in policy documents, and to what extent notions of equity, diversity, and inclusion and public participation were reflected in guidelines and recommendations.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024