Beyond the paper: Why open science is the new research standard
Scientific research is undergoing a fundamental transformation. What began in the early 2010s as a niche advocacy movement has evolved into a global standard for excellence. We are moving away from a ‘trust me’ culture toward a ‘show me’ culture, where transparency is the primary currency of credibility.
The following recent publications from Nature and The Conversation underscore why this momentum is now irreversible:
-
Trust but verify – Nature Materials
-
Reproducibility and transparency: What’s going on and how can we help – Nature Communications
-
Reproducibility may be the key idea students need to balance trust in evidence with healthy skepticism – The Conversation
The Mechanics of Transparency
Open science is more than a philosophy; it is a practical toolkit. At the heart of our methodology are two pillars: preregistration (the public archiving of the theoretical background, the research methods to be used and hypotheses posited before data collection) and the open sharing of raw data and materials.
This approach creates a ‘win-win-win-win’ scenario for everyone involved in the research ecosystem.
- For Funders: Maximising Research ROI
Open science ensures that a funder’s investment continues to yield dividends long after the final report is filed.
-
Lasting Visibility: By sharing data under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License (abbreviated as CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)—the gold standard for protecting intellectual credit while preventing unauthorised commercial use—funders demonstrate a commitment to cutting-edge corporate social responsibility (e.g., see OSF projects using this licence). There are lots of possible licences with varying permissions and restrictions. For instance, CC BY 4.0 allows all use provided an acknowledgment of the authorship.
-
Public Recognition: Funders can be prominently featured in OSF repositories using direct links that help document the funder's role in high-quality, reproducible research for a global audience (see an example repository).
- For the Project: Prestige through Rigour
By adopting these protocols, a project distinguishes itself from the ‘black box’ approach of traditional studies. It signals to peer reviewers and international collaborators that the study is a gold-standard project, positioned at the vanguard of modern academic practice.
- For Researchers: Building a Living Portfolio
For the research team, especially early-career researchers (ECRs), open science is a strategic career move. Sharing data on the Open Science Framework (OSF) creates a public, citable portfolio of technical expertise, facilitating recognition and collaboration far beyond a standard CV.
- For the Community: The Multiplier Effect
The true power of open science lies in its ability to empower others. By providing a unique, high-quality dataset and analysis framework, we allow the global scientific community to:
-
Independently verify our findings, strengthening the overall body of knowledge.
-
Repurpose data for new research questions, multiplying the impact of the original funding.
A Commitment to Integrity
Open science is not an ‘optional extra’ or a bureaucratic hurdle; it is a commitment to the idea that the best science is done in the light. By prioritising transparency, we ensure that our findings are not just published, but permanent, verifiable and truly impactful. As we move forward, these practices will define which projects lead the conversation and which are left behind in the archives.
The goal is simple: To produce research that isn't just ‘right for now,’ but remains robust and reusable for the future.