Science is rapidly moving towards open, transparent methods, and with lots of information out there, the challenge can be knowing where to start. No one is Open Sciencing perfectly, the key is to take one step. This page is designed to serve as a practical, hands-on introduction to some first steps.
Some preparation
- Get learning with free courses such as Daniel Lakens’ Coursera that will help you to draw better statistical inferences from your research, and the Open Science MOOC which covers open science practices such as sharing preprints, managing and sharing data. The UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) have a primer series designed to introduce important topics in open and reproducible research.
- Get listening to podcasts about methods, transparency and scientific life: The Black Goat, Everything Hertz and ReproducibiliTea
- Get together and join an Open Science working group or reading club. In the UK you can join the UK Network of Open Science Working Groups. If you’d like to set up your own Open Science community, the OSCU has put together a step-by-step guide. ReproducibiliTea have journal clubs all over the world – join your local club or set one up – they’ve made it very easy to do!
What you can do with an existing project
- Create an account on the OSF, it’s quick and free
- Create a project on the OSF and upload the materials for a previous or existing study
- Add links to those materials to your CV
Planning a new project
- Edit the consent form for your next project to allow for open sharing of anonymised data
- Complete this transparency checklist (see accompanying paper) that you can submit with your work. It will help you improve the transparency of your work before you submit it, and you can also include the checklist with your submission.
- Write your first preregistration or Registered Report: There is lots more information here and here. The OSF has a network of people who can help
- Create a script for reproducible data analysis for your next project (e.g., SPSS syntax, R scripts)
- Publish your first open data set: Ensure anonymity, provide a codebook, refer to this guide to ethical data sharing
Related Links
- How to Open Science
- Practical Tips for Incorporating Open Science Practices into your Everyday Workflow
- Practical Tools and Strategies for Researchers to Increase Replicability
Photo by Mikito Tateisi on Unsplash