Made to measure: how do we responsibly monitor and assess Open Science?

Abstract

Over the past decade or more, Open Science (OS) has rapidly gained momentum, with thousands of policies and recommendations from national agencies, funding bodies, institutions, and journals intended to foster a paradigm shift toward openness. Despite this enthusiastic embrace of Open Science, the tools and frameworks necessary for knowing whether greater openness is being achieved have lagged behind. Better evidence is needed on the adoption and the effects of Open Science – to inform the development of support services, policies, incentives, and to identify unintended consequences . As a result, we face critical questions: How can we avoid overly narrow or reductive approaches to monitoring Open Science? What frameworks and tools can ensure equity, transparency, and meaningful insights and promote responsible use?This panel brings together leading innovators and thinkers in OS monitoring. They will offer perspectives on emerging and established initiatives and discuss the opportunities and challenges of monitoring OS practices, processes, and outcomes at various levels—global, national, institutional, and case-specific.We will hear from the Open Science Monitoring Initiative about their efforts to provide a common, global framework for monitoring Open Science. We will explore new research examining the impact of Open Science practices, via a collaboration between the French Open Science Monitor and PLOS. The UKRN will share insights from their pilot projects to develop Open Research Indicators for institutions. The session will conclude with an engaging Q&A, inviting the audience to critically examine diverse approaches to OS monitoring, critically examining their strengths, limitations, and blind spots.