Authors: Mar Barrantes-Cepas, Juliette Castelot, Sara Said; Reviewers: Eva van Heese, Linda Douw
Neuroscience is a broad field that spans multiple disciplines, including medicine, biology, psychology, computer science, and more. These fields work on diverse topics, but all focus on understanding the same system: the brain and nervous system. In neuroscience, translation is essential for bridging diverse perspectives from these multiple disciplines; professionals from various backgrounds work on common topics from different perspectives. Without effective translation, valuable findings may remain inaccessible to other professionals and make their integration into clinical practice, policy decisions, and public health initiatives, and the advancement of the field and its potential to improve human health and well-being difficult.
Open Science (OS), which is an approach that promotes the sharing of knowledge, data, and research findings, offers a solution to translating and expanding the field of neuroscience. By encouraging transparency, collaboration, and the open dissemination of scientific resources, OS helps break down the barriers that often exist between different disciplines and research communities. This openness allows researchers from various fields to more easily access each other’s work, share findings, and build on each other’s ideas. Moreover, OS also plays an important role in combating disinformation within the general public.
Beyond its role in data sharing and transparency, OS fosters an open stance within neuroscience, serving as a collaborative starting point and a way of viewing teams. OS is not just about making information available; it is about cultivating a mindset that values inclusivity, shared problem-solving, and collective knowledge building. By adopting OS principles, research teams can develop a culture of openness that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, trust, and mutual learning. This perspective allows neuroscience to move beyond isolated efforts toward a more interconnected and cooperative scientific community, ultimately enhancing its translational impact.
Nevertheless, neuroscientists often express a lack of knowledge, guidance and time as barriers to implementing OS in their daily work, as well as, that the existing resources tend to be generic and fail to cater specifically to the neuroscience field. To address this, we developed this guidebook designed specifically by and for neuroscientists. We intend for this guidebook to serve as a go-to resource for neuroscientists independent of their career stage, providing the necessary knowledge and practical tools to incorporate OS principles in their work. It offers clear guidance on various aspects of OS, such as Preregistration & Protocols (Chapter 2), Open Data (Chapter 3), Open Software & Tools (Chapter 4), Educational Resources (Chapter 5), Publishing & Preprint (Chapter 6), Science Communication (Chapter 7), Creating your OS group (Chapter 8) and Recognition & Reward (Chapter 9) tailored to neuroscience. Whereas some chapters of this guidebook offer theoretical perspectives or personal experiences with OS in a storyline-like manner, other chapters are designed to guide the reader through a step-by-step process, including the pros and cons of certain decisions.
This guidebook is also designed to be a valuable resource for both Principal Investigators (PIs) and early-career researchers. It enables early-career researchers to deepen their understanding of OS and effectively communicate its relevance to their supervisors. Additionally, it serves as a foundational resource for PIs already interested in OS, allowing them to introduce the principles to their students without requiring a significant time investment.
We see OS as a journey, and every step forward counts. It’s better to start small than not at all. While we provide information on various initiatives, our goal is not to overwhelm you but to offer guidance and support as you navigate this process. This guidebook is a community-driven effort, and we welcome your input, whether by sharing additional resources or seeking clarification. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out. We hope you embrace the journey and become part of the OS movement!