Cameron Neylon posted in his blog, Science in the Open, an essay he prepared for the Open Science Workshop entitled “A personal view of Open Science”. Snippets:
Openness is arguably the great strength of the scientific method. At its core is the principle that claims and the data that support them are placed before the community for examination and critique. Through open examination and critical analysis models can be refined, improved, or rejected.
There is a growing community interested in adopting more open practices in their research, and increasingly this community is developing as a strong voice in discussions of science policy, funding, and publication.
The vagueness of the term ‘Open Science’ means that while it is a good banner there is a potential for confusion. Standards, policies, and brands can provide clarity for researchers, a clear articulation of aspirations (and a guide to the technical steps required to achieve them), and the support required to help people actually make this happen in their own research.
