The Global Young Academy released a report today titled ‘Publishing models, assessment, and open science’. The report is the outcome of a workshop that explored the links between scholarly publishing, research evaluation, and open science. A key conclusion of the report is that a new global culture of dialogue and debate is necessary, and the research community should be in the driving seat of change.
GYA alumnus Martin Dominik, the lead author of the report, points out that “The global research ecosystem continues to change. Not assuming an active role means that others will determine the direction.”
The report asserts that quality and the genuine goals of scholarly research must come first: “Research assessment must not force us into a certain environment, but the environment should rather define the most suitable assessment system. In particular, the widespread competition for bibliometric scores drives an increase in the number of publications, detrimental to quality and integrity, which are paramount to credibility.”
Workshop participants from around the world found that while research is global, it needs to serve diverse local needs: “We would fail to make efficient use of our global human potential for driving societal development if we were to adopt apparent solutions that reflect the situation of only a small number of the most-developed countries.”
The report provides a question framework, a set of core issues, as well as 15 concrete recommendations for action. The GYA hopes that these will encourage interconnected thought between innovators who currently address various aspects of the research ecosystem. Such an outcome would help to develop structures that will make research flourish and deliver as a truly open and accessible global endeavour.
The report is available as a .pdf (download here), as well as an 8-page foldout upon request (email Martin Dominik).