Report written by Hüseyin Uysal, Medical student
As mentioned in the title, the Q+ workshop focused on Open Science. The publishing industry as it is right now, is driven by profit and competition, which manifests itself in the form of paywalls in front of scientific articles and exorbitant publishing fees. Non-transparent structures and unpaid peer reviews provide room for injustice in the publication process. Unfortunately, these are just some of the many problems in today's scientific landscape. This is where Open Science wants to create a change!
But Open Science is more than just Open Access. Open Science demands more transparency in the entire scientific process. One focus of the workshop were the various facets of Open Science. The structures and procedures of the scientific system and the problems associated with this were highlighted during the workshop. What is more, the current situation was contrasted with the solutions offered by Open Science.
In group work, we were able to discuss how we could set up a scientific journal. But as students, we don't have the opportunity to change anything about the scientific landscape, do we? Yet this is the key lesson that can be learned here because this is precisely what is possible. It is us, the students, who will be the scientists of tomorrow and we can play an active role in shaping the future.
The Student Network for Open Science (NOS) is a student-led initiative that aims to challenge these conditions. The speakers were students from various universities of Berlin that take part in this initiative. Another learning point was therefore how the NOS in particular positions itself in this field of tension.
As the speakers were also students, the atmosphere was relaxed. We were a small group of fellow students from Mainz and Berlin, so it was possible to have a lively exchange. We laughed, dined and even danced. If the values of Open Science inspire you, then definitely take part in future events on this topic!
