Global Young Academy Position Statement on Open Science: Making Open Science Possible

"The Global Young Academy feels that the broad aims of the Open Science movement are in the best interest of young scientists, and in the best interest of science itself. Therefore we advocate:  

• That publishers and funding agencies work towards a publishing model that allows free and public  access  to  the  results  of  publically  funded  research.  This  access  should  be  extended, free  of  charge,  to  those  working  in  developing  countries.  Involving  young  scientists  in developing such a model is a key factor in ensuring its long‐term success. 

• That  funding bodies and  research  institutions adequately  recognize work published  in open  access  journals  and  online,  as  well  as  work  involved  in  collecting,  curating  and  sharing information  (whether  data  or  papers),  rather  than  assuming  journal  impact  factors  as  a suitable proxy for scientific excellence. 

• That  funding bodies  recognize and encourage  the development of  innovative Open Science projects  by  allocating  funding  to  projects  which  embrace  the  tenets  of  the  Open  Science movement. Grant applications should not be penalized  if the proposed project outcome  is a publically  accessible  data  set  rather  than  a  publication  in  a  conventional  journal;  the publication  of both  data and  claims produced  by any one project  should  be  supported  and rewarded. 

• That  a  long‐term  strategy  for  data  storage  and  the  maintenance  of  data  archives  must  be developed. As  the Open  Science movement grows, governments, academics and publishing houses  are  starting  to  develop  strategies  to  ensure  data  is  freely  available  for  future generations. The planning of future data storage, such as the ELIXIR initiative launched by the European Union, need to involve early career researchers as well as senior academics. Young researchers are  likely to have valuable knowledge of which types of data need preserving  in the  long term, and how this  is best realised, given (1) the high stakes that these  issues have for the development of their own career; (2) their recent experiences in data gathering; and (3) their exposure to digital means of data dissemination, which is likely to be more extensive than that of academics who spent most of their career without these technologies. "