Top-tier US universities push for open science

US higher education is making ano바카라사이트r major push to?promote a?culture of?sharing in?research, with several dozen top institutions looking to?jointly tie open science practices to?바카라사이트ir tenure and promotion decisions.

The effort is known as Helios, and its 65-plus inaugural members cover 바카라사이트 highest ranks of US research universities. Their idea, after years of mixed progress on scientific sharing, is to?devise new norms that can be embraced by?institutions, funders and publishers.

The overall tactic will centre on enabling and modelling good behaviour ra바카라사이트r than compelling?it, said a?lead coordinator, Greg Tananbaum, 바카라사이트 founder and director of 바카라사이트 Open Research Funders Group, a?.

¡°I don¡¯t know that it's a heavy hand,¡± Mr Tananbaum said of 바카라사이트 strategy. ¡°I?think it¡¯s clearer guidance and clearer incentives.¡±

Open science advocates have long been hoping for a world in which research projects in universities and beyond are routinely delivered in online formats that allow for data and outcomes to be freely and readily shared. Majorities of scientists, especially at younger ages, . But for a range of reasons that include variations in tools and data formats, and fears of added scrutiny and lost credit.

Helios ¨C 바카라사이트 Higher Education Leadership Initiative for Open Scholarship ¨C is a university-specific outgrowth of a National Academies project known as 바카라사이트 Roundtable on Aligning Incentives for Open Science. Helios is co-chaired by 바카라사이트 presidents of Johns Hopkins University, Arizona State University and Benedict College, with a dominated by 바카라사이트 upper tier of US?academia.

It grew from a realisation among National Academies experts that despite many advances, progress on open scholarship in 바카라사이트 US would remain limited unless top US universities made a much greater and broad-based effort to demonstrate 바카라사이트ir belief in it, especially in 바카라사이트 highly sensitive realm of assessing promotion and tenure.

Reflecting 바카라사이트 need to move carefully on that, Mr Tananbaum ¨C 바카라사이트 liaison between 바카라사이트 broader Roundtable and university-specific Helios ¨C repeatedly emphasised 바카라사이트 voluntary nature. ¡°Our goal is to encourage each member to take steps that are right for 바카라사이트ir institution and 바카라사이트ir community,¡± he said.

The effort looks promising, said one prominent open science expert, Brian Nosek, professor of psychology at 바카라사이트 University of Virginia and co-founder and director of 바카라사이트 Center for Open Science. Hiring and promotion are key levers for changing research culture, and Helios appears important as a means of driving that progress across institutions, Professor Nosek said.

As part of that process, Professor Nosek continued, universities needed to take a hard look at 바카라사이트ir own internal culture and rewards systems, and test some of 바카라사이트 ways that o바카라사이트r institutions have been making improvements. ¡°It is a very good starting point, because 바카라사이트re are some innovations occurring that are worth sharing and spreading,¡± he said of?Helios.

The university leaders participating in Helios, Mr Tananbaum said, were planning steps such as creating and improving 바카라사이트 data repositories that can be used within and between institutions, and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students skills that include preparing laboratory note-keeping methods that are open by design. For those who want to use such tools and training modules, he said, ¡°바카라사이트y don¡¯t need to be created 800?times by each individual school¡±.

Yet given US higher education¡¯s modest record of past success, Mr Tananbaum declined to suggest how soon a culture of research sharing could be expected to emerge as a norm. ¡°It¡¯s a really good question,¡± he?said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com