Research in e-Science and Open Access to Data and Information

Abstract: This contribution examines various aspects of “openness” in research and seeks to gauge the degree to which contemporary “e-science” practices are congruent with “open science.” Norms and practices of openness are held to have been vital for the work of modern scientific communities. But concerns have arisen recently about the growth of strong technical and institutional restraints on access to research tools, data and information, in part because of the adverse implications these may have for the effective utilization of advanced digital infrastructures and information technologies in research collaborations. Our discussion first clarifies the conceptual differences between e-science and open science, and it then reports findings recent exploratory research on institutional policies and local practices affecting information access in U.K. e-science projects. In both of its parts the discussion underscores the point that it is unwarranted to presume that encouraging the development of e-science by providing enhanced technical infrastructures and tools alone will necessarily promotes global open science collaboration.