Students’ Perspective on Open Science
Open science – what is it? In our studies, open science has occasionally come up as a concept. However, when we were asked during our internship at the university library about our understanding of it, our response was hesitant. It feels like open science has not been properly covered in our mandatory studies so far — only briefly introduced at a general conceptual level. Because of this, the concept of open science has remained somewhat vague. Only during our internship has open science started to take shape through various concrete tasks introduced to us. This kind of concreteness is entirely missing from our studies, leaving open science as just an abstract concept.
In discussions about open science, it’s often mentioned how science is hidden behind various paywalls. As university students, we are in a privileged position regarding access to science. We have access to scientific knowledge in a way that those outside the university do not, because the university library acquires rights for us to read published research. This may feel like a given. Of course, we students and other university members need access to science — both to contribute to it and to read it. After all, we are here to learn how to do science and to engage in it.
However, it is easy for us to forget how closed science generally is. Many doors are open to us, so it may seem like it’s just bad luck if we cannot immediately access some information. Even then, we have various ways to obtain it, such as interlibrary loans or the Get It Now service. We don’t always remember that others do not have the same easy access to scientific knowledge — in worst cases not at all. But why shouldn’t others have equal opportunities to participate in and follow science?
Even those outside scientific communities need reliable information to navigate society. Social media — and sometimes even news outlets — push out vast amounts of information, making it hard to distinguish the truth. The format of researched knowledge is mimicked to support personal arguments, and ordinary citizens cannot verify claims made by influencers, those in power, or AI, by accessing information directly from the source. Citizens are expected to be informed and active in societal matters, but populist politics and information manipulation sometimes reach them more effectively than scientific research.
Open science enables the sharing of reliable information with a broader audience. Scientific texts may still be inaccessible to many, for example, due to scientific language or the discoverability of information not being common knowledge. However, open science creates opportunities to share knowledge with professionals and experts in the field, who can pass it on and use it in their work. Science still belongs to a select few, even though high expectations for broad knowledge affect everyone. Not all potential users are even aware of the possibilities of open science. When there is no awareness of open science, its offerings are just as unreachable as other research.
Yet, the most likely users of open science would be those applying for higher education and professionals who have already completed their studies. For applicants, paywalls may create the impression that all scientific knowledge is inaccessible, so in addition to opening science, more information about it should be shared. Graduates may not have gained a clear enough understanding of open science during their studies, so they do not know how to utilize it in their professional lives.
Thinking about future generations, we hope that open science is something people hear about even before entering higher education. It should be part of general knowledge that science is available to those who seek it. However, during higher education studies, students should also delve deeper into what open science concretely is. Open science must also continue to expand. When we graduate in the future, it would be desirable for as much content as possible — currently still behind paywalls — to be openly accessible to all. For the future of society, it is important to enable access to research even for those who are not conducting it themselves.
Text: Information Studies students Anni Lehtonen and Janette Mäkinen
Translation: Piatta Hellevaara
