My Introduction to Open Research Practices and Principles

Kate Smith recently worked as a Project Coordinator Intern for the Open Research team where she helped to create a strategic skills framework for open research practice. In this blog post, Kate reflects upon the important role of open research values, principles and culture at the University of York.

What is Open Research?

Open research embodies the idea that all aspects of the research cycle should be as open as possible, as closed as necessary. When I first joined the Open Research team, my knowledge and experience in open research practice was very much limited. However, I was attracted to the opportunity because I was eager to learn more about how open research can benefit an increasingly complex and digital world. 

My initial exploration into open research was focused on the history of knowledge-sharing and how this has transformed research as we know it today. The practice of open publication and knowledge sharing was first established in the 1990s with the widespread availability of Internet access. Here, it was possible for researchers to publish their own work and also make it instantly accessible anywhere in the world. The first online, free-access journals emerged at a time when the traditional, print-based journal system was in crisis. Today, there are more than 12,000 academic journals available to researchers to publish and share their work. 

In a post-COVID climate, scholarly attention is now focused on the need to make research a more open and collaborative process. Open research, also known as open science or open scholarship, is practised and supported by those who want to further the potential of digital technologies in scholarly communication.

Photo from the Two Years On event in July

Open Research at York

The Open Research team at the University of York have made tremendous efforts in promoting and supporting an open research community. Their work includes the successful development of an Advocates Network which includes academics, researchers and support staff who are champions of good open research practice. 

During my internship, I had the fantastic opportunity to meet with advocates and fellow practitioners of open research at the Two Years On event. Many of the presenters at this event were recipients of the Open Research Awards scheme which recognises work that encourages dialogue, reflection and border thinking about open research practices. Here, I was introduced to the brilliant work of Caitlin Doley and her colleagues who had created the innovative Aspectus: A Journal for Visual Culture, and Vlad Ungureanu and Dr Andrew Mason’s JBU visualisation tool which demonstrated the massive potential of sustainable software practices in the advancement of biomedical research. 

A preview of the open research lifecycle wheel from our forthcoming skills framework

An Open Research Skills Framework

Over the course of my internship, I have learnt about the roles, challenges and benefits of open research for the research community at York. The objective of my internship was to create an inclusive skills framework which outlined the knowledge and skills of open research practices as well as provide information on relevant guidance and support. 

In addition to my own research, I had the opportunity to meet with open research advocates and practitioners who provided critical feedback to my first draft of the skills framework. 

We are aiming to finalise and launch the Open Research Skills Framework in time for the start of the 2022/23 academic year. Follow @UoYOpenRes on Twitter for the latest updates on this and other York Open Research initiatives.