Launch Event Report – Open Science Community Torino

21st of March 2025 – Aula Blu, Rettorato UniTo

On the 21st of March, 2025 the Launch Event of the Open Science Community Torino (OSCT) took place in a crowded Blue Room at the Rettorato of the University of Torino (UniTo). More than 50 participants attended the event, including researchers, PhD students and professors.

The OSCT was born from an idea of a group of young researchers from the University of Torino,  Luca Visentin, Ilaria Stura, Evdokia Tema and Elena Giglia. They participated in the CUAP course for Data Stewardship organized by UniTo, and share a common vision for open, ethical, and transparent research. The OSCT is the first Italian Open Science community, and is a member of the International Network of Open Science & Scholarship Communities (INOSC).

The OSCT is an open community that aims to bring together researchers, students, technical staff and citizen scientists from in and around Torino, all united in the common goal of promoting Open Science in their Institutions.

Elena Giglia, opened the event by giving an introduction to the philosophy of Open Science, showcasing its benefits and the main challenges it faces. Next, Luca Visentin, one of the coordinators of the OSCT, presented the OSCT, explaining how this initiative was born, its objectives, and how to get involved, also describing the tools created to support communication among members.

The community has four main objectives:

  1. Organize Open Science initiatives in Turin, in collaboration with universities and other institutions;
  2. Support researchers in the practice of Open Science through the exchange of best practices, strategies and resources;
  3. Connect researchers interested in Open Science with a peer-to-peer network;
  4. Train on methods and strategies to integrate Open Science into daily research practice.

It was emphasized that OSCT is not a service, but a community of people, united by a shared desire to improve skills and knowledge, exchange ideas and experiences, and actively contribute to building a more open scientific culture.

Next, Mauro Paschetta for the Politecnico di Torino (PoliTo), Fabrizio Fossati for the Università del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Emanuela Secinaro and Federico Ferrarese Lupi for the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM) presented the Open Science efforts in their respective Institutions. They also discussed the challenges they face in their respective fields.

The audience actively participated in the event through a Mentimeter questionnaire, and this was one of the most interesting and fun parts of the event. 50 participants answered the proposed questions. Of these 50, the vast majority were from UniTo (41), but also INRiM (3), PoliTo (2), UPO (1) and Istituto di Ricerca per la Crescita Clinica (IRCC) (1).

Surprisingly, more than half of participants (26, 52%) were from the biomedical area, 8 had a chemistry or pharmaceutical background, 3 from Historical studies, 2 from Law studies. The remaining participants were from many fields: agronomics, engineering, computer science and other hard sciences. There were no participants from the departments of Human Studies, Philosophy or Economy.

Most participants were doctoral students or researchers (23 in total), but several full professors (7), assistant professors (5) and administrative (9) and research technicians (3) were in the audience, too.

As expected, participants felt prepared to publish their research in open access (OA, median of 4 out of 5 points) and deposit their articles in OA repositories (3/5). The audience was also informed about FAIR principles (3/5) and Open Peer Review (2.5/5), but pre registration of studies (1/5), preprints and Citizen Science (2/5) were less known topics. There is a significant drop between reported knowledge of a topic and its application in practice (p<0.01) for all areas with the exception of OA repository usage (p>0.05), possibly because these practices are nowadays widely adopted by the scientific community and rewarded by institutions.

The most known Open Science platform is Zenodo (24, 54.5%), followed by Sherpa Romeo (10, 22.7%). UniTo’s resources are basically unknown (www.oa.unito.it: 3, its intranet pages: 2), as well as the European initiatives and portals (COARA: 3, EOSC: 1).

We used freeform comments to ask participants about their difficulties in implementing Open Science. Most felt that the largest difficulty was the lack of knowledge (29), followed by a lack of dedicated support staff (16), lack of formal evaluation rewards (8) and of infrastructures (5). Some report the difficulty of introducing OS to their colleagues or external partners (6), having experienced resistance to OS in the past.

It is interesting to notice how these figures are reversed when participants are asked what their institutions are missing when supporting them in Open Science. The first answer is not education or training, but specific support staff (16), recognition of OS work (12), new infrastructure (10) and only then OS training (9). These responses suggest that for those interested in Open Science, the priority is not necessarily acquiring more knowledge, but rather having collaborators, support staff, and adequate structures to help them implement open practices in their day-to-day research.

This trend is also reflected in participants’ expectations for the OSCT: the majority (26) expressed the wish that it becomes a space for networking, mutual support, and collaboration among Open Science advocates. Secondly, they would like to organise or promote OS courses (17) at every level (masters, PhDs, for technicians and researchers proper), or thematic workshops on case studies (14).

Finally, more than half of the participants indicated e-mails as their preferred communication method, followed by Whatsapp (14), Discord (13) or Telegram (9). The OSCT will therefore start a mailing list, and the Discord Channel will remain open (https://discord.gg/JgTbFJGx).

The event ended with an Open Science Cafe’, an informal event where participants were encouraged to exchange ideas and comments on OSCT and have an open discussion with the organizers about key Open Science topics. The topic of Data Stewardship and the emerging figure of Data Steward was particularly popular among the audience.

In conclusion, the OSCT was warmly welcomed. Our hope is that this community will become a reference point for the Open Science efforts in and around Turin, where everyone can find space to offer and receive support, exchange advice, and build new collaborations, all in the true spirit of Open.

A sincere thank you to everyone who joined us in the launch event and that made this first step possible.

To join the Open Science Community Torino, go to https://osc-international.com/osc-torino/

Comunidade de Ciência Aberta Pelotas integra a Rede Brasileira de Reprodutibilidade

Em março de 2025, oficializamos nossa participação na Rede Brasileira de Reprodutibilidade (RBR)(https://www.reprodutibilidade.org/), uma iniciativa multidisciplinar dedicada à promoção de práticas de pesquisa transparentes e confiáveis no Brasil.

A RBR reúne grupos, instituições e pesquisadores de diversas áreas do conhecimento, com o objetivo de avaliar e aprimorar práticas científicas, além de fomentar o debate sobre reprodutibilidade na pesquisa. Como parte desse compromisso, a Comunidade de Ciência Aberta Pelotas se junta à rede para fortalecer ações voltadas à transparência, integridade e confiabilidade na produção científica.

Acreditamos que a colaboração com a RBR contribuirá significativamente para a disseminação de boas práticas em nossa comunidade acadêmica e para o avanço da ciência aberta, colaborativa, acessível e reprodutível  no Brasil.

Declaração da Comunidade [quem somos e no que acreditamos?]

A Comunidade de Ciência Aberta de Pelotas é um grupo colaborativo dedicado a engajar e apoiar a adoção dos princípios e práticas de Ciência Aberta na pesquisa. Nosso objetivo é promover ciência aberta, facilitando a comunicação 📢 e a colaboração 🤝 entre instituições, disciplinas e contextos comprometidos em tornar o conhecimento científico acessível 🌍 e utilizável 📖.

📚 Como fazemos isso?

Através de workshops, seminários e projetos colaborativos 🎓💡, buscamos inspirar e capacitar indivíduos – pesquisadores, estudantes e profissionais de qualquer área – para que contribuam e se beneficiem da Ciência Aberta. Nossa comunidade está aberta a qualquer pessoa interessada em promover a Ciência Aberta, independentemente de sua formação ou nível de experiência.

🔎 Por que isso é importante?

Ao promover essas conexões, queremos sensibilizar 💡, simplificar a implementação da Ciência Aberta 🔄 e apoiar a transferência de conhecimento 🌍. Nossa missão é derrubar barreiras tradicionais 🚧 na pesquisa científica, promovendo transparência 👀, reprodutibilidade 🔄 e aprendizado compartilhado 📖.

✅ Isso significa:

📂 Acesso aberto a dados, métodos e descobertas.

🔓 Recursos científicos disponíveis para todos que os procuram.

🌎 Democratização da pesquisa com ferramentas de acesso aberto.

🤝 Contribuições de uma rede global de colaboradores.

🎯 Além da academia!

Também priorizamos educação e divulgação, levando as práticas de Ciência Aberta para além do ambiente acadêmico 📢. Nosso objetivo é envolver toda a sociedade, garantindo que a pesquisa seja conduzida com integridade ✅ e seus benefícios sejam amplamente compartilhados 🔗.

🚀 Junte-se a nós e faça parte dessa transformação! 🌍💡

Call for OSCAWARDS 2025

OSCAWARDS 2025

The third annual OSCAWARDS, organized by the Open Science Community Amsterdam, celebrate the diverse contributions to open science and recognize the many ways individuals drive change toward a more credible, transparent, and inclusive research culture. The OSCAWARDS aim to strengthen our community and honor the efforts of our members in advancing open science. Researchers, educators, support staff, and students are invited to submit their completed or ongoing projects that contribute to this mission. We also welcome teachers to nominate their students’ projects and encourage colleagues to nominate the work of others.

Submission deadline and important dates

Submit your project here: https://tinyurl.com/OSCAWARDS2025 

Deadline: May 12, 16:00 CET.

Award ceremony: June 12, SPUI25 Amsterdam

OSCAWARDS prizes:

Eight prizes of €400,- in four different categories of Open Science for support staff, researchers, and educators, and two prizes of €400,- for student submissions.

OSCAWARDS categories:

  1. Open access/ Open data/ Open materials/ Open software
  2. Transparency/ Metascience/ Preregistration/ Reproducibility
  3. Citizen science/ Societal impact/ Community engagement
  4. Open educational resources/ Open educational practices

Aim

Celebrate the many ways of contributing to open science and transparent research culture.

Eligibility and evaluation criteria

You are eligible for the OSCAWARDS if:

  • The nominated project has been completed in 2024 or 2025 or is still ongoing. 
  • At least one of the project members is employed by (or, in case of a student submission, study at) one of the participating institutes until at least June 2025, the month of the award ceremony.
  • At least one of the project members is a member of the  Open Science Community Amsterdam. You can become an OSCA member here: https://osc-international.com/osc-amsterdam-register/.

The jury will judge entries based on the following criteria:

  • Alignment with Open Science values
  • Potential to improve science or benefit society
  • Potential to foster diversity and inclusion
  • Sustainability

See this pdf of the evaluation form: https://osf.io/dxvuz

Contact: Openscience.amsterdam@gmail.com

Scientific Integrity Symposium 2024: Highlights

Scientific integrity is essential to the self-correcting nature of science. But how can we ensure the quality and integrity of scientific research, and what frameworks can we create to foster it?

At a time when AI introduces new challenges to the traditional scientific publishing system and the integrity of many established researchers is under scrutiny, the importance of maintaining scientific integrity is more crucial than ever. On September 23, the Open Science Community Amsterdam together with the Student Initiative for Open Science hosted the Scientific Integrity Symposium to highlight interdisciplinary perspectives on the topic, discuss prerequisites for fostering a culture of research integrity, and addressed the growing challenges of scientific fraud.

UvA Open Science coordinator Frans Oort opened the event, followed by talks from international experts on fraud detection, Elisabeth Bik and Ben Mol, as well as national experts on research integrity Mariëtte van den Hoven and Gerben ter Riet. This event was part of a nationwide series held during the National Open Science week and is supported by Open Science NL

Slides

Speaker slides can be found on our OSCA repository: https://osf.io/zpsrh/

Highlights

We believe that the symposium was a great success and it left us with some sobering insights. For instance, Ben Mol estimates that around 30% of randomized controlled trials in women’s health are fabricated or untrustworthy; Elisabeth Bik has flagged over 3,000 papers in biomedical research as potentially fraudulent, of which more than 1,200 have been retracted; Gerben ter Riet warned about conflicts of interest and the spread of false narratives when industries publish scientific research. These numbers underscore the need for more systematic control in scientific publishing. On a more optimistic note, the event also highlighted the importance of fostering a work environment that supports research integrity and encouraged researchers to speak up, a topic discussed by Mariëtte van den Hoven. Relevant training on this topic is offered, for instance, by the Dutch Research Integrity Network (NRIN).

About the speakers

Frans Oort is full professor of Methods and Statistics, director of the Research Institute of Child Development and Education, and vice-dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Since 2019 he is the coordinator of Open Science at the University of Amsterdam. 

Elisabeth Bik is a scientific integrity consultant based in San Francisco and a member of the eLife Ethics committee. She is renowned for her expertise in image forensics for scientific papers and has identified over 4,000 potential cases of scientific misconduct, including more than 400 linked to the “tadpole paper mill”.

Ben Mol has developed methods to detect fraud in scientific publications over the past 12 years, scrutinized articles for signs of manipulated data, and raised awareness about the impact of fabricated articles on medical guidelines. His discoveries as a whistleblower are frequently highlighted on the platform Retraction Watch.

Gerben ter Riet is a clinical epidemiologist at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA) and specializes in the intersection of research integrity and quantitative research methodologies. He consults at the HvA Open Science Support Desk, and co-authored the 2015 ZonMw research program aimed at promoting responsible research practices.

Mariëtte van den Hoven chairs the executive board of the Netherlands Research Integrity Network.  As an expert in professional ethics and research integrity, she leads a European consortium dedicated to developing training programs that promote responsible research practices and empower researchers to speak out on ethical issues within their fields.

Community Building for Citizen Science

Join our interactive workshop about community management and dialogue.

Getting started with Citizen Science is no mean feat, but it can be very rewarding if done correctly! The VU University library supports citizen science trough their Science in the Cloud project. This workshop is meant for researchers and other staff thinking of adding a Citizen Science component to their research. It builds from experience and literature. This session will get you started with a communication plan to build and sustain a thriving community for your project.

This event is part of a nationwide series held during the National Open Science week and is supported by Open Science NL

Event Details

Registration: https://vu-nl.libcal.com/event/4252183

Date: 26 September 2024, 12:00 – 14:00

Location: VU Library, Main building, de Boelelaan 1105

This event is free to attend, but registration is required because we have a limited number of spots.

Faces of Open Science Workshop

Register now for a thought-provoking session that highlights the personal and collective commitments shaping the future of research. 

Join the “Faces of Open Science Workshop” on Friday 27 September for an engaging and creative session where we will delve into the diverse roles and motivations that drive the Open Science movement. In this workshop, Susanna Bloem and Marc van Mil from Utrecht University, invite participants to explore how they relate to the principles of openness, transparency, and collaboration in their research and academic practices. Whether you’re deeply involved in Open Science or just starting to explore it, this workshop will offer valuable insights and inspiration.

This event is part of a nationwide series held during the National Open Science week and is supported by Open Science NL

Event Details

Registration: https://tinyurl.com/faces-of-os

Date: 27 September 2024, 11:00 – 14:00

Location: Sweelinck Room, Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Oude Turfmarkt 145-147

This event is free to attend, but registration is required because we have a limited number of spots.

Ενημερωτική Συνάντηση

Η πρόσκληση αυτή απευθύνεται σε συναδέλφους, ερευνητές και μη, για της σύσταση μίας κοινότητας με αντικείμενο την Ανοικτή Επιστήμη. Η πρωτοβουλία αυτή υποστηρίζεται απο το International Network of Open Science & Scholarship Communities (INOSC).

Δύο βασικά συστατικά της κοινότητας υπάρχουν ήδη: 1) Λογότυπο 2) Υποδομή για ιστοσελίδα. Προς ενημέρωση όλων, θα δημιουργηθεί μία διαδικτυακή συνάντηση για να συζητηθούν:

  • Το διεθνές περιβάλλον της Ανοικτής Επιστήμης
  • Δράσεις Ανοικτής Επιστήμης από φορείς που δραστηριοποιούνται στον Ελληνικό χώρο
  • Τα κίνητρα για την υλοποίηση της κοινότητας
  • Σύσταση οργανωτική επιτροπής για την διαχείρηση της κοινότητας (Εθελοντική εργασία)

Πληροφορίες Συνάντησης

  • Ημερομηνία: Πέμπτη 16 Νοεμβρίου, 2023
  • Ώρα: 17:00 – 18:30 (συνολική διάρκεια: 90 λεπτά)
  • Επικοινωνία: athens@osc-international.com – fotis.mystakopoulos@operas-eu.org
  • Φόρμα συμμετοχής: Εγγραφή

New blog post on Open Science training from OSCG member Rory Coyne

In this Open Voices blog post we are talking to Rory Coyne about Open Science training! Rory is a PhD student in Health Psychology at the University of Galway. He completed the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at University of Galway in 2020, and the Master of Science in Health Psychology at University of Galway in 2021. His research interests are in the areas of digital health, psychophysiology, and human-machine interaction. Rory is also actively involved in the promotion of Open Science practices in research, and is a committee member on the European Health Psychology Society’s Open Science Special Interest Group.

You can read the interview with Rory on the Hardiblog of the University of Galway Library: https://hardimanlibrary.blogspot.com/2023/09/rory-coyne.html


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