Framework for
Open and
Reproducible
Research
Training
Recently, the scientific community took steps to reflect a widespread awareness of, and call for, improved practices ushering in the “credibility revolution,” including higher standards of evidence, preregistration, direct replication, transparency, and openness. The accelerating adoption of open science practices has been perhaps the most significant change in how social scientists work in the last decade.
However, while there are still issues standing in the way of widespread adoption by academics, the integration of these new and improved principles into researchers’ educational pipeline lags behind (to the detriment of students and the quality of higher education). In an effort to raise awareness of the educational benefits of open and reproducible scholarship to students, we review the extant literature on the topic, to tease out why academics should integrate these principles in their teaching and mentoring, and provide recommendations.
To review and synthesize the evidence that investigates whether embedding open and reproducible science into research training can confer benefits for students. This includes undergraduate and postgraduate students, in all areas (not limited to psychology), on an international level. The review focuses on integrating open and reproducible scholarship into teaching and learning.
We find there are significant benefits (but also challenges) of teaching open and reproducible scholarship. The review identifies a positive impact of teaching open science on students’ understanding and appreciation of scientific research practices. However, it also notes challenges in implementing these practices, such as the need for more resources and training for educators—a hole the FORRT community is trying to fill. The findings also suggest that while there is enthusiasm for the integration of open and reproducible science principles in teaching and mentoring, there are significant gaps in practical application and support within educational settings. This underlines the need for more structured approaches to incorporate open and reproducible practices in teaching. We stress the importance of enhancing pedagogical research methods to support the teaching of open and reproducible scholarship.
For teachers and educators, the significance of the article lies in its emphasis on the role of open scholarship in developing critical scientific skills and attitudes. It argues that incorporating open scholarship practices in education fosters a culture of transparency, rigor, and inclusivity in scientific research. This approach not only benefits the scientific community but also prepares students to become more competent and ethical researchers. The article underscores the transformative potential of open scholarship in education, highlighting its role in shaping future researchers and advancing the field of science.
Our review of the evidence is summarized in a manuscript entitled Teaching open and reproducible scholarship: a critical review of the evidence base for current pedagogical methods and their outcomes. This describes the available (empirical) evidence of the impact and importance of integrating open scholarship into higher education, its benefits and challenges within three areas: students’ (a) scientific literacy; (b) engagement with science; and (c) attitudes towards science.
Our manuscript has been published!. Cite as:
Pownall, M., Azevedo, F., König, L. M., Slack, H. R., Evans, T. R., Flack, Z., … & FORRT. (2023). Teaching open and reproducible scholarship: a critical review of the evidence base for current pedagogical methods and their outcomes. Royal Society Open Science, 10(5), Article 221255. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221255
An earlier version of the review can be found as a preprint.
The manuscript was an international effort! Contributors were located across multiple continents.
Check out our other FORRT publications on Open Scholarship here
Dr. Madeleine Pownall presents a summary of the article in this lecture. You can find the slides here.
If you know of relevant papers, please reach out by email at info@forrt.org, or join the project’s Slack channel. If you want to learn more about the project, see this announcement on social media, join the project’s Slack channel.