Open Science/Week 12: Scientific Culture for Quality, Integrity, and Open Science

Learning Outcomes

 * Define the term social dilemma.


 * Identify social dilemmas in the context of open science and propose solutions.
 * Compare the role culture plays in open science and in reproducibility.

Readings
“Putting Open Science into Practice: A Social Dilemma?” by Scheliga, K., & Friesike, S. in First Monday, 19(9), 2014, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International License.

“Open Science, Communal Culture, and Women’s Participation in the Movement to Improve Science” by Mary C. Murphy, Amanda F. Mejia, Jorge Mejia, Xiaoran Yan, Sapna Cheryan, Nilanjana Dasgupta, Mesmin Destin, Stephanie A. Fryberg, Julie A. Garcia, Elizabeth L. Haines, Judith M. Harackiewicz, Alison Ledgerwood, Corinne A. Moss-Racusin, Lora E. Park, Sylvia P. Perry, Kate A. Ratliff, Aneeta Rattan, Diana T. Sanchez, Krishna Savani, Denise Sekaquaptewa, Jessi L. Smith, Valerie Jones Taylor, Dustin B. Thoman, Daryl A. Wout, Patricia L. Mabry, Susanne Ressl, Amanda B. Diekman, and Franco Pestilli in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (39) 24154-24164, September 2020, CC BY-NC-ND. 11 pages.

Optional additional reading for those in the US:

“Accelerating Progress to Open Science by Design” in Open Science by Design: Realizing a Vision for 21st Century Research, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2018, Copyright National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). See especially pp. 151-153.

Discussion Question
Describe an example of a social dilemma in the context of open science. To the extent possible, ground the example in your personal experience. Explain the individual and collective aspects of the dilemma. Offer a proposed solution. Conclude your post by posing a question for further discussion of your example.

Self-check Questions


{Which of the following are the elements that define a situation as a social dilemma? See “Putting Open Science into Practice: A Social Dilemma?” +Each individual is better off by choosing an option that is worse for society overall AND ...If everyone were to choose the option that is best for society, everyone would be better off. -Each individual is better off by choosing an option that is worse for society overall AND ...The best option for an individual depends on the choices made by others. -Each individual is better off by choosing an option that is worse for society overall AND ...The social impact of an individual’s choice can’t be known in advance. -If everyone were to choose the option that is best for society, everyone would be better off AND individuals are unable to communicate about the effects of their choices.
 * type=""}
 * Correct!
 * Try again. This is an appealing answer, but the Prisoners’ dilemma shows that the best option for the individual is to be selfish in both cases.
 * Try again. Social dilemmas exist even when the effects of choices on individuals and societies are known in advance.
 * Try again. Communication can help resolve social dilemmas, but it does not eliminate the dilemma.

{Which of the following is an example of an individual constraint in open science? See “Putting Open Science into Practice: A Social Dilemma?” -A multinational research team operates under different legal systems controlling data privacy. +A scientist who collects and publishes open data resents another researcher publishing a study using those data. -A scientist is confident that results will be publishable because the study was well-designed and pre-registered. See Figure 1. -Scientists are uncomfortable with the competitive publication culture in their discipline. Try again. This is an example of a collective obstacle rather than an individual constraint. See Figure 1.
 * type=""}
 * Try again. This is an example of a collective obstacle rather than an individual constraint. See Figure 1.
 * Correct! Figure 1 illustrates individual and systemic obstacles to open science.
 * Try again. This is an example of a potential solution to the social dilemma of negative results being unpublishable.

{How can social dilemmas be resolved? Choose the best answer. See “Putting Open Science into Practice: A Social Dilemma?” -motivational solutions that take into account the outcomes for everyone involved -strategic solutions based on individual self-interest -structural solutions that change policy and culture +all of the above
 * type=""}
 * Try again. This answer is correct, but it is not the only answer, or the best answer.
 * Try again. This answer is correct, but it is not the only answer, or the best answer.
 * Try again. This answer is correct, but it is not the only answer, or the best answer.-structural solutions that change policy and culture
 * Correct! These are three approaches to resolving social dilemmas.

{In “Open Science, Communal Culture, and Women’s Participation in the Movement to Improve Science,” Murphy and colleagues analyzed bibliometric data. Which statement best describes the relationship between the scientific literatures about open science and reproducibility? -The scientific literatures about open science and reproducibility are closely linked, sharing many common papers and authors. +Women play a more prominent role in the open science literature than they do in the reproducibility literature. -The reproducibility literature makes greater use of pro-social and collaborative language than the open science literature does. -Differences between the open science and reproducibility literatures in the use of pro-social language and in women’s roles as authors are explained by the literatures publishing in different disciplines.
 * type=""}
 * Try again. Because they share relatively few papers and authors, they can be considered to be separate bodies of work.
 * Correct! Women are more likely to play prominent roles in authoring publications in the open science literature compared to the reproducibility literature.
 * Try again. The open science literature makes greater use of pro-social and collaborative language.
 * Try again. The authors found the same differences even when controlling for scientific discipline.

{The authors of “Open Science, Communal Culture, and Women’s Participation in the Movement to Improve Science” recommend that efforts to improve science adopt pro-social norms. What reasons do they offer to support their recommendation? Choose the best answer. -to reflect the reality of the communal nature of science -to recognize the necessity of multidisciplinary team science to address today’s grand challenges -to make science inclusive of people who value prosocial goals +all of the above
 * type=""}
 * Try again. This answer is correct, but it is not the only answer, or the best answer.
 * Try again. This answer is correct, but it is not the only answer, or the best answer.-to make science inclusive of people who value prosocial goals
 * Try again. This answer is correct, but it is not the only answer, or the best answer.
 * Correct! The authors recommend pro-social norms for all of these reasons.