OPEN SCIENCE:
A CHANGE IN RESEARCH THAT CHANGES US
When I was notified by UC3M that I was part of the Ticket to Open Science 2024, I was very interested in the idea. In my kind of research (PhD in Law), such practical and useful courses are rare, especially in a legal world where open science is not as prevalent as in other areas of Social Sciences.
My knowledge of Open Science was basic, but through this course, I have learned a lot about its composition, elements, development, and how it applies to the world of scientific research. The course left a great impression on me; it is very well designed by its creators, Professor Dr. Eva Mendez and Pablo Sánchez, who were always willing to answer questions and doubts on the subject.
I want to highlight, for obvious reasons related to my field of knowledge, Professor Luca Schirru’s presentation on Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) of Open Science, and especially the knowledge gained about the Directive EU 2019/1024, European Parliament and Council, 20 June 2019, on Open Data and Re-Use of Public Sector Information.
Other things I learned during this course included the use of various websites and Artificial Intelligence as tools for research, some easier to use than others. For example, I can highlight R MarkDown, Quarto, Argos, Consensus, Kumu, etc. The one I found most useful and easy to use was Argos, which is a digital tool for creating Data Management Plans.
Finally, I can comment that I will always remember the first class, where I understood that Open Science was not just about open publications, but a complex and broad system that underpins transparency, equity, collaboration, visibility, reproducibility, speed, horizontality, inclusivity in Science, among many other characteristics. In any case, it is clear to me that its components include: Open methodology, source, access, infrastructures, educational resources, data, labs, open crowd funding, design, and Citizen Science.
I thank Professor Eva and Professor Pablo, as well as the rest of the speakers during the course and the Open Science Café, for this opportunity and for the learning experience.
I recommend the course to those who want to be part of a change within research in Science.
Sebastián Retamal Julio
Lawyer (UAH, Chile)
PhD Candidate in Law (UC3M, Spain)