Open Science, Communication and Impact

Course goals

1. Identify, collect and integrate stakeholder interests and experiences at different stages of the academic research process 

2. Translate scientific knowledge to targeted lay or professional audiences 

3. Reflect on and apply open science principles in research 

Content

The position of scientists and academic knowledge in society is an important question for the university today. In 2017, Utrecht University announced it will aspire to conduct ‘open science’ in both research and teaching.  In so doing, the university promotes the idea that scientific knowledge of all kinds, where appropriate, should be openly accessible, transparent, rigorous, reproducible, replicable, accumulative, and inclusive. Open science consists of principles and behaviors that promote transparent, credible, reproducible, and accessible science as fundamental features of the scientific endeavor (FORRT). 

In the broader MA program, students conduct research for their thesis in collaboration with their internship organization. This requires insights into the principles of open science and the skills to apply them. In this course, therefore, students follow interactive workshops about open scholarship: the idea that knowledge of all kinds should be openly shared, transparent, rigorous, reproducible, replicable, accumulative, and inclusive (allowing for all knowledge systems). The course provides hands-on experience in the application of open science principles and behaviors in research with stakeholders, aspiring to help students make their thesis research more relevant and accessible for stakeholders. Three workshops support students in the process of writing – and, crucially, communicating - an academic thesis in collaboration with an internship organization or other external stakeholder.
 
Students learn about open science principles and impact-driven research, including an introduction to the topic of open science, discussion of different facets of open science, and application in master curriculum. Students learn to follow and apply open science principles throughout different phases of the research process, including the formulation of questions, the choice and application of methods, and the dissemination of results.