Dimensions of open research: critical reflections on openness in the ROER4D project
Journal Article
2016
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Open Praxis
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Open Praxis
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
Open Research has the potential to advance the scientific process by improving the transparency, rigour,
scope and reach of research, but choosing to experiment with Open Research carries with it a set of ideological,
legal, technical and operational considerations. Researchers, especially those in resource-constrained
situations, may not be aware of the complex interrelations between these different domains of open practice,
the additional resources required, or how Open Research can support traditional research practices. Using
the Research on Open Educational Resources for Development (ROER4D) project as an example, this paper
attempts to demonstrate the interrelation between ideological, legal, technical and operational openness; the
resources that conducting Open Research requires; and the benefits of an iterative, strategic approach to
one’s own Open Research practice. In this paper we discuss the value of a critical approach towards Open
Research to ensure better coherence between ‘open’ ideology (embodied in strategic intention) and ‘open’
practice (the everyday operationalisation of open principles). This paper first appeared in Open Praxis, Volume 8 Number 2.
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Reference:
King, T., Hodgkinson-Williams, C., Willmers, M. & Walji, S. (2016). Dimensions of open research: critical reflections on openness in the ROER4D project. Open Praxis, 8(2), pp. 81–91.