Navigating Open Science as Early Career Feminist Researchers

Abstract

Open science aims to improve the rigor, robustness, and reproducibility of psychological research. Despite resistance from some academics, the open science movement has been championed by some early career researchers (ECRs), who have proposed innovative new tools and methods to promote and employ open research principles. Feminist ECRs have much to contribute to this emerging way of doing research. However, they face unique barriers, which may prohibit their full engagement with the open science movement. We, 10 feminist ECRs in psychology from a diverse range of academic and personal backgrounds, explore open science through a feminist lens to consider how voice and power may be negotiated in unique ways for ECRs. Taking a critical and intersectional approach, we discuss how feminist early career research may be complemented or challenged by shifts towards open science. We also propose how ECRs can act as grass-roots changemakers within the context of academic precarity. We identify ways in which open science can benefit from feminist epistemology and end with envisaging a future for feminist ECRs who wish to engage with open science practices in their own research.

“If your institution refuses to provide what you need, create it yourself”: Feminist praxis on #AcademicTwitter

“…I've relied on mailing lists & various internal opportunities at my university but I'd like to know if there's more out there? Importantly, this capacity for Twitter to open up academic spaces and improve the accessibility of knowledge aligns with recent shifts towards open scholarship in academia, which has previously been conceptualised as extending the feminist agenda (e.g., Pownall et al, 2021). As well as using Twitter to ask for help, some account holders also used it to provide information.…”

Identifying Gaps and Building Bridges Between Feminist Psychology and Open Science

“…Finally, Pownall et al (2021) provide an analysis of feminist psychology and open science through the lens of early career researchers (ECRs) ECRs. In this article, the authors draw attention to the precarity faced by ECRs that can be alleviated or exacerbated by the tools of open science, depending on the nature of their scholarship, their career goals, and the culture they experience within the open science movement.…”

“…However, ECRs may face barriers to engaging in open science that may prevent them from reaping these benefits. Pownall et al (2021) also provide recommendations for engaging with open science in a way that is meaningful and safe for ECRs.…”

Embedding open and reproducible science into teaching: A bank of lesson plans and resources.

“…Open scholarship has prompted a fundamental reappraisal of how we "do" research, by stressing the importance of a culture that fosters inclusion, representation, and respect (FORRT, 2019;Hillyer et al, 2017;Nosek et al, 2015;Parsons et al, 2021;Pownall et al, 2021). However, despite the clear pedagogical benefits of embedding an open and reproducible approach to teaching, the implementation of any new approach often requires considerable time and resources to implement.…”