Drivers and barriers in the transition to open science: the perspective of stakeholders in the Spanish scientific community

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a research study whose objective was to identify the facilitating factors and barriers that, in the opinion of representatives of the Spanish scientific community, impact the implementation of the new open science model in four areas: open access, open research data, research assessment and open peer review. A qualitative study was designed in which information was obtained through interviews with researchers, editors of scientific journals, representatives of assessment agencies and vice-chancellors, and through a focus group of librarians with expertise in aspects of open science. The enabling factors and barriers identified were related to the researcher and the fruit of their research, as well as to the scientific ecosystem, which provides direct institutional support and backing (universities/research centres), the regulatory framework (management of the science system) and the science communication system (media). The results indicate that a shift in scientific practices toward the open science model can only be achieved if there is a policy framework that integrates all initiatives and links into the scientific assessment and reward system, and if the necessary funding is in place to support this transition.

Diagnosis on the implementation of open science in Spanish institutions. Analysis of projects, publications and perception of stakeholders

“…Coinciding with the feeling of other experts (Anglada, 2022;González-Teruel et al, 2022), the data allow us to conclude that open science has not yet "taken off" in Spanish institutions and, therefore, its consolidation will depend on the actions taken in the coming years.…”

Perceptions regarding open science appraised by editors of scholarly publications published in Spain

“…Regarding relevant studies related to Spain, there are articles analysing open access editorial practices (Melero et al, 2017), perceptions towards open access (Ruiz‐Pérez & Delgado‐López‐Cózar, 2017), to open access and peer review (Segado‐Boj et al, 2018), towards open science (Rodríguez‐Bravo & Nicholas, 2021), and recently with a focus on philosophy (Feenstra & López‐Cózar, 2022) and drivers and barriers in the transition to open science (González‐Teruel et al, 2022). The aim of this paper is to examine and analyse perceptions and editorial practices related to open access, preprints, underlying data and open peer review, from the perspective of editors of scientific journals published in Spain.…”

Going Open Access: The Attitudes and Actions of Scientific Journal Editors in China

“…Some editors face obstacles during the transition to OA, including the unfamiliarity and misunderstanding of OA, the lack of financial support, the constraints of the current scientific assessment system, confusion about copyright agreements, the negative impact of predatory journals, etc. [57,58]. Furthermore, while it may be easy to start a journal as an OAJ, it requires ongoing investment in people, money, documentation, and platform maintenance to operate sustainably [59,60].…”