Ensuring equity in Open Science. Call for Blog Posts for the ON-MERRIT final conference

2021-12-21

Open Science and Responsible Research and Inovation (RRI) hold the promise to make scientific endeavours more inclusive, participatory, understandable, accessible, and re-usable for large audiences. However, making processes open will not per se drive wide re-use or participation unless also accompanied by the capacity (in terms of knowledge, skills, financial resources, technological readiness and motivation) to do so. These capacities vary considerably across regions, institutions and demographics. Those advantaged by such factors will remain potentially privileged, putting Open Science and RRI’s agendas of inclusivity at risk of propagating conditions of “cumulative advantage”.

Since 2019, the EC Horizon2020 project ON-MERRIT has been investigating these issues using scientometric, sociological and other approaches to examine how these factors influence the ways in which Open Science/RRI are taken up (and by whom). ON-MERRIT aims to synthesise current knowledge, produce new primary research findings across a multitude of Open Science domains, and inform future research and policy.

To coincide with ON-MERRIT’s final conference in March 2022 (to be held online, dates announced soon), we here call for blog posts on issues related to our project themes. Thereby we wish to provide an opportunity to explore and reflect on how Open Science can overcome inequalities in practical terms, discuss good practices in RRI, equitable scientific practices, institutional initiatives or projects and so on. The best submissions will be curated on our website and showcased at our conference.

ON-MERRIT is particularly interested in contributions on the following themes:

  • Inclusion: How research can become widely accessible for all research contributors and consumers, research inclusion with regards to openness, transparency, research integrity and reproducibility.
  • Potential pitfalls in the transition to Open Access: Who receives recognition and merit in research, how research cultures shape researcher careers, increased chances in reputation, impact of reputational gains.
  • Rewarding open and responsible research practices: Existing and emergent reward factors, incentive and mitigating schemes, benefits of transparent reward mechanisms, research collaborations and their results.
  • Resource-intensity: Structural advantages and disadvantages for practicing Open Science & RRI, necessity for financial, institutional or social/cultural resources.

Submissions could further concentrate on pressing issues related to responsible research and innovation (e.g., gender equality, science education, ethics); increasing transparency and participation in science; or experiences and thoughts on how the scientific culture could best accommodate Open Science & RRI practices.

Submission Guidelines

Deadline for blog post submissions: 31st January 2022.

Announcement of results: 15th February 2022.

Blog post contributions should be 600-1000 words and should be submitted in MS Word or, Open Office Word format to info@on-merrit.eu. The selected blog post contributions will be published on the ON-MERRIT website. Submit your blog post via the email address - you can use the same address to ask any questions!