Open Science
Universities and research institutes worldwide are working on the realisation of "Open Science; Maastricht University (UM) is one of them. UM endorses the principles of Open Science, offering its academics support to put these principles into practice and make science "as open as possible, as closed as necessary". In this way, we strengthen ties with our communities and improve our relationships on many levels, from regional to international and from citizens to professionals. Open Science can contribute to making science more visible, in the broadest sense of the word.
Contact
Marielle Prevoo (Open Science Librarian)
marielle.prevoo@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Are you interested in Open Science? Join the Open Science Community Maastricht!
Open Science in Maastricht
What exactly is Open Science?
Open Science is a new approach to scientific research. Its aim is to strengthen collaboration, both between individual researchers and between other parties and scientists. Open Science makes research more transparent, controllable, faster, more efficient, reproducible and more sustainable. The idea is that civil society organisations, patient organisations, companies and other organisations can all benefit from easy access to scientific research.
The following themes are important spearheads in UM's Open Science policy:
- FAIR data use; if possible, research data must be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. UM wants to be fully FAIR by 2023.
- Open Access; this refers to a broad international academic movement promoting free online access to scientific information, such as publications and data. In this model, the author pays, not the reader. UM wants all publications to be ‘open access’ by 2020.
- Recognising and rewarding scientists in a different way; currently, scientists are usually judged by the number of scientific papers they have published and the research grants they have acquired. Open Science also stands for recognition and appreciation of other issues such as educational activities, leadership qualities and social impact (more information on this topic can be found here).
Changing our system for recognising and rewarding is crucial for bringing about the transition to Open Science.
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Public engagement; involving society in drawing up research questions, conducting research and communicating the results. Specific examples are citizen science, in which citizens actively participate in the collection of data for scientific research (e.g. the National Horticultural Census); and crowdsourcing, in which citizens are involved in processing of research data (e.g. via Zooniverse).
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Open Educational Resources (OER)
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FAIR software: making software code accessible so that it can be used or further developed by other researchers.
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Preregistration
Open if possible, closed if necessary
Drawn up at the request of the Netherlands deputy minister of Education, Culture and Science, the National Plan Open Science has the support of Dutch universities and other parties. The plan aims to help implement the country’s ambitious Open Science policy.
Also download the UM Open Science policy
What can researchers do?
Open Science – it’s basically a matter of doing it. Researchers who want some help on how to apply open science practices can contact advisers within their faculty via the following portals.
Open Science is above all a matter of actually doing it. It can be applied in all research phases (e.g. open pre-registration in the preparatory phase, applying citizen science in data collection, publishing open access after the research is completed). Researchers who want some help on how to apply open science practices can contact advisers within their faculty via the following portals.
The Research Data Management portal supports UM researchers making their data FAIR. Information about Open Access publishing can be found on the Open Access page of the Maastricht University Library. The Maastricht Platform for Community-Engaged Research (MPCER) focuses on involving society in research.
For general questions or comments about Open Science, please contact our Open Science Librarian: Marielle Prevoo.
Scientists not only want to reach colleagues with their research, but also, for example, policy makers or interest groups. That is why Open Science is so important. As Rector Magnificus of this university, I fully support this movement, just like the scientists who are committed to it.
Prof. dr. Rianne Letschert
News
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Maastricht University is proud to announce that two UM projects were awarded the YERUN Open Science Award 2022.
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International Open Access Week 2021 will take place from 25-31 October. This year we are paying extra attention to new developments, services and tips. We are launching a new OA Journal Browser, a preprint guide, and organising drop-in sessions. But there's more. Read on and discover seven ways to celebrate Open Access Week 2021 with us.
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Guide with available Open Access APC deals and discounts for submitting UM and MUMC+ authors. In this guide, an overview of the available arrangements and how you can use these deals.
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10 selection criteria to consider when you search for the right journal for your article. Let us help you with our 10-step guide to find journals where you could submit your manuscript.
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The Open Initiatives Trophies give recognition to teams or individuals who have made efforts to promote Open Science with their peers and in their local communities in the Netherlands. Egon Willighagen – assistant professor at NUTRIM – received a trophy and 250 euros as one of the runner ups.
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The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has introduced a new funding instrument to stimulate Open Science. Eligible initiatives are in the broad field of Open Science; ways to publish more open access, to unlock and share data, or to bring about a cultural change within the organization to Open Science.
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The Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), the Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers (NFU), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and Elsevier announced that they have entered into a national agreement. Maastricht University and MUMC+ participate in this contract that runs until 2025.
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VSNU, NFU, NWO and Elsevier have reached a framework agreement. In the short term, this means that from January 2020 we will have access to all online journals from Elsevier and UM scholars can publish Open Access in all Elsevier journals – Full OA and Hybrid – without paying APC.
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Rector Magnificus Rianne Letschert signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) today, marking Maastricht University’s (UM) official endorsement of a new approach to assessing academics.
