The Open Science Movement: Funders, Foundations, and Federal Regulations

Abstract

The National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, and National Endowment for the Humanities are among a growing list of federal agencies issuing open science regulations. The NSF states that open data should be publicly available, fully accessible and usable, made available to the widest range of users for the widest range of purposes, and without restrictions placed upon use. Beyond federal agencies, philanthropic and nonprofit organizations are also engaged in perpetuating the movement. With funding from the John Templeton Foundation, the Center for Open Science established the Open Science Framework, and the Open Science of Religion project was launched to advance openness in the science of religion and spirituality. JTF is a founding member of the Open Research Funders Group, which is a partnership among 25 philanthropic organizations committed to open data, including: Gates, Lumina, Sloan, Zuckerberg, Arnold, and Johnson Foundations. Additionally, journals are increasingly required to comply with open data regulations. Yet, questions remain regarding the extent to which qualitative data can ethically be de-identified. The NIH supplemental states that indirect identifiers may pose particular challenges to inferences. Researchers question whether qualitative researchers are ready to share data (Mozersky et al. 2020; 2021). Guidelines and software applications exist to assist with technical aspects of the de-identification process, but broader questions remain regarding whether qualitative researchers can share data without violating the trust of their participants and uphold research ethics for confidentiality.