Open practices across science, software, education and other domains

Abstract

Open practices are actions people perform to influence transparency (who can see information), inclusion (who can voice perspectives) and decision rights (who can make decisions). Open practices have grown popular across domains, including open science, open-source software and open education, in hopes of spurring innovation and broadening participation. But which open practices best enable groups and organizations to achieve these ambitious goals, and why? This Perspective distils seven successful practices from across these domains that can help groups to define goals, allocate power, share information and set norms. These practices, such as documenting power structures and adopting a code of conduct, hold potential to support groups and organizations seeking to address great challenges through openness. However, delivering on that potential will depend on how well groups share lessons across domains, tailor these practices and sustain the people and platforms that carry them. Open practices have grown in popularity across domains, such as open science and open-source software. However, these domains have remained siloed. Meluso et al. develop a common definition and implementation guidance to support the use of open practices across diverse fields.