If you search for "Open Science" on the internet you will find that the general consensus for the definition is that it is an umbrella term for a movement that aims to promote open sharing, publishing, access, and other operation models for science and research. In simple terms, Open Science aims to spread knowledge as far and as wide as humanly possible without any barriers, economic or otherwise, because publicly funded research findings should be openly available to the public that pays for it. Open Science has become an internationally significant way to promote science and research, and the effects and impact of science and research.
Image source: "What is Open Science? Introduction" (Foster).
Video by SHB Online: Open Science: what, how & why?
Additional sources on Open Science:
There is a vast amount of scholarly material published openly on the internet that is available for everyone to read and use. Libraries also purchase access rights to databases and other electronic resources for their patrons to use. If you cannot find the resources you are looking for in the library's collections or they do not have access to it, it is worth checking to see if there are Open Access versions available.
You may find the following publication types openly available:
Open Access publishing can sometimes be delayed, i.e. there can be an embargo on the publication. In these cases, publications are first published in a subscription journal or a database and access to everyone is opened at a later date. It may take up to a few months to a few years for the publication to become openly available depending on the embargo periods set by the publisher.
For more information, visit Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access
Video by SHB Online: What is Open Access?
As Open Access publishing has increased, so have the attempts to swindle people. The so-called predatory or questionable Open Access journals are journals that overcharge researchers on article processing charges (APCs), or whose peer review procedures do not meet the standards set in academic publishing. For readers, the questionable journal websites may look similar to traditional scholarly journal websites.
To evaluate the reliability of a publisher you can use the following checklist:
You can ask the editors or members of the editorial board for an opinion on the journal. You can also ask authors of previously published articles for their opinion. If the journal has an impact factor, check if the number is correct.
A Creative Commons license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work". A CC license is used when an author wants to give other people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that the author has created. More information in Wikipedia.
Creative Commons licenses give everyone from individual creators to large institutions a standardised way to grant the public permission to use their creative work under copyright law. There are six different license types, more information in The Creative Commons License Options.
Article processing charges, APCs - Also known as a publication fee, which is a fee sometimes charged to authors to make an article or other written work available for everyone to read. This fee may be paid by the author, the author's institution, or their research funder.
Creative Commons licences - A public copyright license that enables the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. A CC license is used when an author wants to give other people the right to share, use, and/or build on a work they have created.
Database - An organised collection of set information. Generally, when we refer to a database we mean a site on the internet where you can look for information on articles (i.e. reference databases) or read fulltext articles published in scholarly journals and books. In contrast to search engines, databases have specific, predetermined contents.
Fulltext - The complete text of an electronic publication (article, book, etc.) that can be accessed or read online.
Gold Open Access - A fulltext article that is immediately accessible through an Open Access publication, where all articles are openly available. The publisher of the OA journal may charge an APC from authors to cover the costs of publishing. These are usually lower than traditional journals' publishing fees.
Hybrid Open Access - Articles that are openly accessible in a publication after authors pay an extra fee, an APC. These publications usually have both Open Access articles and closed/paywalled articles.
Green Open Access - A version of an article primarily published in a subscription journal that is archived in an Open Access repository. This is usually called parallel publishing or self-archiving.
Open Access (OA) - A movement and a publishing method to get research publications freely available online for everyone, most importantly the general public.
Open Science - An umbrella term for a movement that promotes Open Access and open operating models in science and research.
Open Source - Software source code (of computer programs, applications, etc.) that is designed to be publicly available for anyone to use, modify and distribute freely.
Open Data - Freely available (research) data for everyone to use and republish, without restrictions from copyright. Open Data is important in checking for the reliability and transparency of research findings.
Paywalled publication - An electronic publication (article, book, etc.) that you have to pay a subscription or a pay-per-view for to access and read the fulltext.
Questionable publishers/journals - Sometimes also referred to as predatory publishers or journals, who claim to be respectable scholarly publishers, but have only been set up to steal authors' money. An unfortunate side effect of the Open Access movement.
Peer review - The evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work. It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review methods are used to maintain quality standards, improve performance, and provide credibility.
Pre-print - In academic publishing, a preprint is a version of a scholarly work that precedes formal peer review and publication in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. Preprints may be available, often as non-typeset versions for free, before or after the work is published in a journal.
Reference database or bibliographic database - A collection or database of bibliographic records of articles, books, etc., an organised digital collection of references (suggestions, records) to literature, journals, etc., where you can search for information on publications.
Repository - An online database to store and manage digital objects, such as electronic publications or research data. In this guide we are generally referring to Open Access repositories where you can find the fulltexts of Green Open Access publications.
Search engine - A software system that is designed to carry out internet searches in a systematic way to find particular information. For example, Google Scholar is a search engine.
