Category Archives: Science

Open Science, Science

8 reasons why you should start with Citizen Science

Group of people working together in a library

Group of people working in a library (Image generated with ChatGPT, 2024 – https://chat.openai.com)

Citizen science – the active involvement of non-scientists in research projects – is not just a modern approach, but a revolutionary step that can transform science from the inside out. Here are eight reasons why you should start Citizen Science now.

1. Leave the ivory tower: Democratizing science through participation

Citizen science is an opportunity to break down the boundaries between science and society. By actively involving citizens in your research, you create transparency and enable open access to scientific processes. (cf. BMBF (2023): Partizipationsstrategie Forschung. URL: https://www.bmbf.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/de/2023/partizipationsstrategie.html [18.09.2024] – in German only)

2. Strengthen the community: Democracy needs cross-group research

A functioning democracy thrives on participation and encounters. Citizen science promotes precisely this by bringing together people from different social classes, ages and regions. With Citizen Science, you create spaces for cross-group research and enable interested parties to actively participate in scientific projects. (On the topic of personal encounters in everyday life, see: Manthe, Rainald (2024): Demokratie fehlt Begegnung. Über Alltagsorte des sozialen Zusammenhalts. Bielefeld: transcript. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783839471418)

3. Improving science communication: Entering into dialog

Citizen science is an important step towards improving science communication. By working together with laypersons in the scientific process, a dialog is created in which the significance and benefits of scientific findings become visible. This helps to promote understanding of scientific methods and reduce the mistrust that often exists related to research. (on the dialogical research process: Bogusz, Tanja (2020): Kollaboratives Forschen. In: Selke, Stefan et al: Handbuch Öffentliche Soziologie. Öffentliche Wissenschaft und gesellschaftlicher Wandel. Wiesbaden: Springer VS. DOI: doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-16995-4)

4. Using resources: Simply collect data (or have it collected)

One visible advantage of citizen science is the possibility of collecting data together in a simple and cost-effective way. Whether it is environmental observations, historical documentation or the enrichment of large data sets, citizen science extends your range and allows you to collect data that would be difficult to access or too costly on your own. (but see critically on data management skills of citizen scientists: O’Grady, M. & Mangina, E. (2024): Citizen scientists-practices, observations, and experience. In: Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. Vol. 11, DOI: doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02966-x)

5. Acquiring funding: Participation as a plus point in the application

Funding institutions are placing more and more emphasis on participatory approaches in science. Proving that your research is not only important for the scientific community, but also for the public, significantly increases your chances of success when applying for funding. (see Wissenschaft im Dialog gGmbH (2024): mit:forschen! Gemeinsam Wissen schaffen: Förderinstrumente. URL: https://www.mitforschen.org/citizen-science/handbuch/foerderinstrumente [18.09.2024])

6. Do more than manage (open) science: Putting creativity and discussion at the heart of research

The increasing bureaucratization of science often means that researchers spend more time managing projects than actually doing research. Citizen science is also about re-engaging in the creative process and discussing research through meaningful networking. (see Leonelli, Sabina (2023): Philosophy of Open Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 67-68. DOI: doi.org/10.1017/9781009416368)

7. Gaining new insights: Through manifold perspectives

Volunteers who participate in science projects often bring new, unexpected perspectives and local knowledge to the table. This fresh perspective can lead to innovative insights that might not emerge in purely academic projects. (see also the concept of open innovation in economics: Pohl, Alexander & Engel, Berit (2021): Open Innovation. SSystematische Darstellung des State of the Art auf Basis einer Zitationsanalyse. In: CENTIM Working Papers. No. 2. Rheinbach: Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg. DOI: doi.org/10.18418/978-3-96043-092-6)

8. Developing current research questions: Research with social relevance

By involving citizens in your research, you can develop relevant and practical research questions that address the actual needs and challenges of society. This allows you to conduct research that is not only of interest on an academic level, but also solves concrete problems and improves people’s everyday lives. (as an example: Overgaard, Anne Kathrine & Kaarsted, Thomas (2018): A New Trend in Media and Library Collaboration within Citizen Science? The Case of ‘A Healthier Funen’. In: Liber Quarterly. Vol. 28. DOI: doi.org/10.18352/LQ.10248)

Conclusion: Citizen Science as a path to future-oriented research

Citizen science is more than just a new trend – it is a transformative movement that is fundamentally changing the way science is done. By involving amateur researchers in your projects, you not only create more transparency and participation, but also contribute to solving societal challenges. Take the opportunity to break new ground with Citizen Science.

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Current information, for example on funding instruments, data management in projects and legal and ethical issues, you find on these central platforms:

Looking for support?

Get in touch with the Open Science Team at the University Library:

Davide Del Duca: davide.del-duca@bibliothek.tu-chemnitz.de | Telefon: +49 371 531-36501 | Chat/Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/@dadel:tu-chemnitz.de

Martina Jackenkroll: martina.jackenkroll@bibliothek.tu-chemnitz.de | +49 371 531-33482

Formulated and translated with support of Chat.GPT and DeepL

Innovation & Technology, Open Science, Science

OpenAlex: a free alternative to Scopus and Web of Science?

Scientific research tools such as Scopus, Web of Science or Dimensions have now become established. Many researchers have stored complex search queries in their favourite database. However, the cost of these platforms is a significant item in the budgets of libraries and research institutions.

What if there was a bold, free alternative to these expensive tools? Actually, there is, and there has been for some time, but only recently has it started to gain traction: OpenAlex.

OpenAlex can be defined as “a fully open catalogue of the global research system”. It has been maintained by OurResearch since around mid-2021 and the data comes from the Microsoft Academic Graph, Crossref, institutional repositories (via OAI-PMH) and much more. OpenAlex has access to a large amount of data and is based on persistent IDs (DOIs, ORCID, ROR, etc.).

Don’t be fooled by the minimalist interface and the absence of corporate design colours. OpenAlex concentrates on the essentials and does its job very well. Until a few months ago, queries could only be made via the API. Now it has a graphical user interface that is constantly being updated and improved. I have an account where I can save my queries. I find it simple and useful, but perhaps it is still too little for a researcher. However, development continues.

I then ran some tests and entered the name of TU Chemnitz to see the results:

Here the results from Scopus:

Very good. We have about 6,000 more results than Scopus. However, this does not mean that all the works displayed are actually related to Chemnitz University of Technology. Quality control still needs to be improved in OpenAlex. However, I was also impressed by the presence of some graphics.

If you are a researcher, I invite you to enter your name in OpenAlex and check that all the data is correct. It is also possible to calculate your own H-index with this script in Jupyter Notebook (if you need help, write to me).

I also tested this script, which uses the data from OpenAlex to show which co-operations TU Chemnitz has with other universities worldwide. Here is the result:

This is only a first approach to OpenAlex, and it is necessary to deepen the knowledge of the data structure and quality control. There is a lot of potential in it and its possibilities are currently limited, but it is an interesting project and it is worth giving it a chance.

Open Science, Science

Monitoring – Financing – Consultation: How the University Library supports Open Access

Monitoring
The National Open-Access-Monitor provided by the Central Library of the Research Center Jülich offers opportunities for analyses of publications, costs and citations with regard to Open Access in Germany. Currently, data concerning scientific articles marked by a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) are processed. The sources comprise i.a. the Web of Science and the database Dimensions.
Chemnitz University Library makes use of this monitor for the analysis of Open-Access publication numbers and costs but also for the assessment of the market and the allocation of costs between the different publishers. The results are of significant importance for the calculation of the Publication Fund of Chemnitz University of Technology, the conclusion of transformation contracts with publishers and the application for funding resources.

Fig. 1 Open-Access status Chemnitz University of Technology, 2017-2021, OA Monitor, Dimensions

Den Beitrag weiterlesen Monitoring – Financing – Consultation: How the University Library supports Open Access →

Open Science, Science

The International Open Access Week 2020 at Chemnitz University of Technology – a summary

This year’s “International Open Access Week” (IOAW), which took place from 19 October to 25 October 2020, was centred around the motto “Open with Purpose: Taking Action to Build Structural Equity and Inclusion”, which emphasised the political and social implications of Open Science and focused on the philosophy behind the term “Openness” as a set of values.
Den Beitrag weiterlesen The International Open Access Week 2020 at Chemnitz University of Technology – a summary →

Open Science, Science

Desired award for the Chemnitz University Library

For the second time, the University Library received the Open Library Badge of the initiative of the same name for more openness in libraries.
We are proud to again meet the revised criteria of 2016 in the required number and beyond. The Open Science Team has taken up the new challenge
and is implementing openness in the following contexts, for example:

Additional points are displayed as best practices on the badge page.

The award is an incentive for us to further expand the Open Science Network at Chemnitz University of Technology, because open science already permeates all disciplines in science and research. Digital teaching, open educational materials are two of many exciting topics.

For the upcoming International Open Access Week from 19-25 October 2020, we will again be offering various virtual services.

You can find our team at: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/ub/openscience/

E-media, Open Science, Science

The new DEAL contract with Springer Nature – its many advantages for Open Access publishing and how you benefit from them

DEAL-Logo
The boost for Open Access publishing through the DEAL contracts is now entering its second phase. After Wiley, another major academic publisher, Springer Nature, has negotiated a comprehensive agreement with the DEAL project. The contract is a so-called publish and read agreement. It consists of two components: In addition to the possibility of publishing in around 2,500 Springer Nature journals in Open Access (“Publish”), it also includes access to almost all of the publisher’s journal content (with exception of all “Nature” branded journals) that is still in Closed Access and therefore only available by subscription (“Read”). As in the case of Wiley, Chemnitz University of Technology (TU Chemnitz) is also participating in this new DEAL contract.
Due to the publishing component, it is possible for researchers at TU Chemnitz to publish their articles in Springer Nature journals in Open Access with very little administrative effort. The costs incurred are automatically covered by the budget of the University Library, for which you do not have to submit applications or forward invoices to the library. As a researcher, you therefore benefit from the many advantages of Open Access publishing and are additionally relieved of the bureaucratic hurdles associated sometimes with Open Access publishing, so that you can focus fully on your research.
Below we would like to briefly outline the most important cornerstones of the publishing component of the agreement and explain the practical significance of these for you as an author.

Den Beitrag weiterlesen The new DEAL contract with Springer Nature – its many advantages for Open Access publishing and how you benefit from them →