Open Reproducible Research II (o2r2)

Basic data for this project

Description

The main goal of the Opening Reproducible Research (ORR) project was the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Executable Research Compendium (ERC). The ERC encapsulates a scientific paper with the used data and software to enable third parties to reproduce the original research results (figures, tables). It also facilitates interaction with these results and the recombination of ERCs with other data. Although reviewed as a high-risk experiment for providing reproducibility, the objectives of ORR have been completed. ORR’s results did not only lead to visibility in the scientific community, but also to a large interest by external partners from the publishing sector to introduce ERCs in concrete cooperations. This follow-up project proposal, O2R2, builds on the results from the ORR project, particularly the pro- totypes and specifications as well as the insights gained regarding the needs and practices of scientists. O2R2 contributes to changing the way scientific results are communicated and disseminated by realising a broad-based deployment of ORR’s concepts and solutions in pilot applications, by engaging various stake- holders, and by creating user incentives. Hence, O2R2 opens access by transforming (i) technology, (ii) organisations and workflows, and (iii) individual behaviour. O2R2 will transform technology of scientific publishing by enhancing publications in three pilot applica- tions. Two pilots realise special journal issues with publishers, where ERCs are provided as supplementary assets enhancing review and reading workflows. The third pilot implements the ERC as the object of scien- tific publication and integrates it with the Open Journal Systems (OJS) publishing software. Organisations and workflows will be transformed by explicitly tackling barriers for adoption of ERCs by potential infras- tructures operators, and by broadening the scope of ORR towards geospatial analyses with large data. Transforming individual behaviour will be pursued by developing tools to assist scientists in interacting with ERCs. In ORR, we conducted a series of studies to identify problems and needs of open reproducible re- search. Immediate benefits for preparing code and data are lacking, and even if underlying materials are accessible, research results are not necessarily reproducible as we found while reproducing geoscientific papers. Scientists need easy-to-use tools to create executable papers, e.g. by only submitting their project folder. In O2R2, we address these issues by lowering barriers for the creation of ERCs, and create tangible incentives for researchers to publish ERCs. Throughout the entire project, key figures are collected to gather long-term operational requirements of the new publication workflow. Combined with user studies, this data allows profound evaluation of ERC’s potential. O2R2 puts the ERC from laboratory conditions out into the real world of scientific practice and sustainably contributes to the open access transformation.