In your opinion, can the involvement of citizen scientists [1] during the research process bring added value to scientific research?
Citizen science has its limitations. The subject of research is essential – only if it allows for the involvement of citizen scientists can their participation be meaningful. There is no single, universally accepted definition of citizen science, and there are multiple interpretations. The definition I relate to most describes citizen scientists as data collectors who may also participate in later stages of the research process. Citizen science introduces a sense of responsibility for researchers – both toward the community and toward the citizen scientists they collaborate with. An important component is also education, in the form of empowering citizens with knowledge about the subject they helped investigate.
Do you encourage students to familiarize themselves with open-access practices and to use open-access resources, approaches, etc. (e.g., open-access study materials, open-access educational platforms, willingness to share their own work according to open science principles, etc.)?
For over a decade, libraries have been raising awareness about the importance of open science for students and higher education teachers. Open science enables unlimited and free access to literature – often including materials that libraries do not subscribe to. Access to scientific literature is undoubtedly much faster, especially when scientific articles are shared or published publicly as preprints or peer-reviewed manuscripts. Open educational resources are also important, although they are probably still underused in the educational process. That is why, under the RRP pilot project – With Open Access to Lifelong Education (ODVIj), we set out to establish a university online script repository called Skriptarnica, which will include not only required learning materials but also open-access resources, thus supporting the most curious learners.
With its regulations, Slovenia adheres to the European Union’s policy on open science. We can expect changes in the increased accessibility of both the results and the research data itself, and thus an increase in the transparency and reproducibility of scientific research work. Where do you see the greatest advantages on this path of opening up science and thus encouraging a collaborative culture of scientific research?
There are many advantages, even though during the transition from conventional scientific communication to communication based on open science principles, many do not yet see them – and understandably so. From the researchers’ perspective, there are several “grievances” with open science. The most significant is probably the shift of publication costs to the author. Previously, this cost did not exist. Libraries subscribed to scientific literature. At present, subscription to international scientific literature remains the only way to ensure comprehensive access to scientific literature, while authors are also required to pay to publish in open access. We are still far from achieving full open access. Or perhaps not. The Slovenian research community is making significant steps toward open science. Open science exposes knowledge to the expert public immediately or as quickly and openly as possible. Data sharing is key.
