Normalizing Open Science Practice: Understandings, Evaluations, and Implementations of Open Science Practices in the Field of Communication

Abstract

Communication research has recently entered the discussion on open science. Through the lens of Normalization Process Theory, this preregistered qualitative study addresses how open science has been normalized within the field of mass communication. Through 19 semistructured in-depth interviews with communication scholars from across the globe and different career stages, the results reflect that scholars are driven to implement open science for idealistic, research-oriented, and political reasons. Yet, scholars have reservations regarding open science’s feasibility and concerns for participant privacy. In particular, this study identifies issues of coherence in open science that are key to its implementation.