Identifying key factors and actions: Initial steps in the Open Science Policy Design and Implementation Process

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has illustrated the lack of a holistic approach in implementing Open Science (OS), leading to an inability to fully utilise its potential to inform prompt, evidence-based policy responses. In this view, this study aims to identify and categorise the factors influencing the adoption of OS and proposes possible actions for decision-makers to develop relevant policies. To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 experts from Australia, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States as well as eminent international entities. During the interviews, they were asked to answer a range of questions that emerged from a systematic literature review. The responses were coded and analysed using a grounded theory approach. This led to the identification of four thematic clusters, containing a total of 24 factors that can either enable or inhibit OS practices, namely, (a) external; (b) institutional and regulatory; (c) resource-related; and (d) individual and motivational. Drawing upon Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development framework, we also propose a conceptual model that integrates these factors, accompanied with corresponding actions, into a tangible process of OS policy design and implementation.