Negotiating Open Science: The Open Science Framework as a Technology-in-Practice

Abstract

The open science movement promotes use of digital technology to increase the efficiency, inclusivity, and quality of scientific research. Developers of these platforms often advocate for open science on the grounds that it is in keeping with scientific values, specifically referencing Mertonian norms. However, many scientists are agnostic toward open science; as policies and technology enforce the movement's aims of sharing openly, they seek to protect the research they view as their own. My dissertation work studies the enactment of open science by a variety of stakeholders in the Open Science Framework (OSF) - its developers, its users, and also its non-users. Through interviews, trace data collection, and observation of these various populations, I will explore how these stakeholders construct different technologies-in-practice. By taking the OSF not as a given, but as a technology whose purpose and effects are structured by the constraints and resources of its stakeholders, I will unpack the tensions among open science advocates, agnostics, and their use of technology. With these insights, science policy and open systems can be designed to better accommodate the diverse concerns of stakeholders.