Reducing Barriers to Open Science by Standardizing Practices and Realigning Incentives

Abstract

Open science, the practice of sharing findings and resources towards the collaborative pursuit of scientific progress and societal good, can accelerate the pace of research and contribute to a more equitable society. However, the current culture of scientific research is not optimally structured to promote extensive sharing of a range of outputs. In this policy position paper, we outline current open science practices and key bottlenecks in their broader adoption. We propose that national science agencies create a digital infrastructure framework that would standardize open science principles and make them actionable. We also suggest ways of redefining research success to align better with open science, and to incentivize a system where sharing various research outputs is beneficial to researchers.