Who should own public science? Preprints, power, and publishers
Abstract
Watch the VIDEO.
What is Open Science? When we talk about it, we use technical terms like transparency and reproducibility, or use personal principles like fairness, equality, or justice. But aren’t these just traits of "good" science, conducted by humans with a good ethical purpose? Shouldn’t this be all science..? The problem is that in the present system we aren’t rewarded for doing good science, and academia has become a bit Game of Thrones-y. Almost every conversation about progressing scholarly communication comes down to one thing: Research evaluation and career progression. Researchers are just like everyone else, and aware of the risks associated with driving on the wrong side of the road. Modern research culture tells us not to innovate, not to question, and not to push boundaries. It is perversely non-traditional, and the system is defined by inertia, fear, and skewed power dynamics. How can we all work together to kick-start a new culture of ‘open’ scientific practices, without putting our best and brightest at risk? How do we want people in the future to remember this pivotal time in the history of science? What is the future system that we want students to inherit, and how can we build a path towards that today?
Copyright (c) 2018 Jon Tennant

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).