OOO Canada Research Network

To say that I was a ‘Negative Nancy’ when it came to academic conferences during grad school might be an understatement. I hated small talk and was horrible at networking. I was tired of getting mansplained to at poster sessions.  Sitting through talk after talk made my short-attention-span brain very sleepy.  And while conferences may have been satisfying on an intellectual level, sometimes I would step back to take a bird’s eye view and marvel at the ivory-tower-ness of it all.  It didn’t change much depending on the conference: I’d either be an acoustics researcher in a room full of acoustics researchers, a music researcher in a room full of music researchers, or a psychologist in a room full of psychologists.  Science, which had been at one point glamorous and romantic, had turned into something frustratingly insular, elitist, and inaccessible to the general public; and my average conference experience merely encapsulated this sentiment.

Qu’est-ce que les données libres d’accès?

Les données libres d’accès sont des données auxquelles chacun peut accéder, utiliser, modifier, et partage librement pour n'importe quelle raison ou n’importe quel objectif [http://opendefinition.org]. Les données libres d’accès peuvent  être des données de recherche ou des données gouvernementales.

Pourquoi les données libres d’accès sont-elles importantes?

Les données sont souvent recueillies grâce à des fonds publics et devraient donc être utilisées par la population et appartenir au domaine public. Lorsque des données sont librement accessibles et utilisables, elles peuvent accélérer la recherche et promouvoir la collaboration [John Wilbanks, Creative Commons]. 

Est-ce que le Canada a des politiques sur les données libres d’accès?

• Les données libres d’accès provenant de la recherche scientifique: Oui et non. Les chercheurs financés par les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada (IRSC) sont obligés de partager leurs données bio-informatiques, atomiques et moléculaires lors de la publication de leurs études. Cependant, le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines (SRSH) et le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie (CRSNG) <<encouragent>> les chercheurs à partager leurs données, une recommandation pour une meilleure pratique. Aucune exigence n’est toutefois mentionnée dans la nouvelle Politique sur le libre accès aux publications.

• Les données libres d’accès gouvernementales: Le gouvernement du Canada a mis en oeuvre un programme pilote pour les données libres d’accès en 2011, et a créé le Portail du Gouvernement ouvert [http://ouvert.canada.ca/fr]. Le Canada se classe au 7e rang dans le monde pour les données gouvernementales libres d’accès selon le Open Data Barometer, mais seulement 22e sur l'indice Open Data car les données concernant les dépenses publiques et le transport sont manquantes.

 Liens vers des vidéos et autres ressources concernant les données libres d’accès

• Le projet Dataverse - logiciel pour le dépôt d'archives qui promeut le partage des données, un lien citable permanent pour les données et la reproductibilité de la recherche.

• Why open data is still too closed, Ben Wellington, TEDxNewYork [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BTg8OXhEZk] [vidéo en anglais]

• Open Data Institute Toronto - soutenir les données libres d’accès dans les politiques publiques, l'éducation civique et l'engagement politique [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBMQU2HhjcM] [lien et vidéo en anglais]

• NordOuvert – promeut les données libres d’accès gouvernementales

• Sharing data: good for science, good for you [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJbo-OAaJ1I] [vidéo en anglais]

Qu’est-ce que le libre accès?

Une publication libre d’accès est disponible gratuitement et immédiatement en ligne. Les publications libres d’accès (p. ex. articles scientifiques, livres, etc.) sont libres d’un certain nombre de restrictions liées aux licences, copyright et droit d’auteur : l’utilisateur peut non seulement télécharger des copies numériques des publications libres d’accès sans frais, mais aussi les copier, les distribuer et réutiliser leur contenu.

Pourquoi le libre accès est-il important?

La plupart des publications scientifiques mondiales ne sont pas libres d’accès. En effet, la majorité de la recherche est publiée dans des journaux à accès payant, cachant le savoir derrière des murs que seuls les établissements riches peuvent traverser. Nous vivons dans une ère où le savoir n’est accessible qu’à ceux qui ont de l’argent, ce qui est en contradiction avec la facilité avec laquelle on peut partager l’information, grâce à Internet. Si vous n’êtes toujours pas convaincu de l’intérêt du libre accès, considérez les points suivants:

• L’argent recueilli par la vente de la recherche va directement dans les poches des éditeurs et pas aux chercheurs. La recherche est habituellement financée par l’argent des taxes et impôt et le processus de révision par les pairs est effectué bénévolement par les chercheurs. Les chercheurs eux-mêmes peuvent avoir de la difficulté à accéder aux articles scientifiques.

• Plusieurs institutions académiques (universités, centre de recherche) ne peuvent plus payer le prix exorbitant des abonnements aux journaux scientifiques. La science se construit sur les découvertes précédentes an sur l’autocorrection, mais comment peut-on faire cela si la moitié des chercheurs mondiaux ne peuvent avoir accès aux découvertes?

• Nous ne devrions pas vivre dans un monde où la disparité économique est présente jusque dans l’accès au savoir. Est-ce juste que la plupart des bibliothèques universitaires des pays développés aient accès à des centaines de journaux scientifiques alors que les étudiants et chercheurs des pays en voie de développement n’ont accès à presque rien?

Est-ce que le Canada a des politiques sur le libre accès?

Oui! Depuis le 1er mai 2015, le Canada a implanté une politique sur le libre accès concernant trois organismes. La recherche financée par les organismes fédéraux (CRSNG, CRSH, IRSC) doit être libre d’accès. Voici un organigramme que vous pouvez télécharger et distribuer, pour aider les chercheurs à déterminer s’ils doivent rendre leurs publications publiques. Même si vous n’y êtes pas obligés, nous vous encourageons à le faire!

Je suis chercheur. Comment puis-je rendre ma recherche libre d’accès?

Il existe deux grandes façons de rendre votre recherche libre d’accès.

• La voie <<dorée>>: vous pouvez publier vos articles dans un journal libre d’accès comme PLoS One, PeerJ ou Frontiers. Cela veut dire que votre article peut être téléchargé gratuitement à partir du site web, car l’article est libre d’accès du point de vue de l’éditeur.

• La voie <<verte>>: vous pouvez rendre vos publications libres d’accès même si vous ne les publiez pas dans un journal libre d’accès, en utilisant des dépôts. La meilleure façon d’utiliser cette méthode est de déposer votre article dans un dépôt institutionnel qui est lié à des moteurs de recherche comme Google Scholar. La plupart des journaux vous permettront de faire ceci de façon légale, tant que vous déposez une version prépublication de l’article. Bref, même si vos publications ne sont pas libres d’accès chez le distributeur, vous pouvez les rendre accessibles rétroactivement.

Je suis un étudiant aux cycles supérieurs ou un chercheur en début de carrière. Quels sont les bénéfices à rendre mes recherches libres d’accès?

En rendant votre recherche libre d’accès, vous augmentez votre visibilité en tant que chercheur dans la communauté scientifique. Vos travaux seront disponibles pour un plus grand nombre de scientifiques et auront donc la possibilité d’être cités plus fréquemment. Votre recherche sera également plus accessible pour les médias, augmentant ainsi vos opportunités de communiquer avec le grand public. Si vous ne désirez pas publier dans un journal purement libre d’accès, soyez sûr de retenir vos droits d’auteurs. Vous pouvez le faire en utilisant leSPARC Canadian Author Addendum (lien en anglais), qui vous permettra de conserver le droit de reproduire et de réutiliser vos articles publiés pour des usages non commerciaux. Parlez avec votre superviseur de cette option, discutez avec les bibliothécaires de votre établissement et lisez en plus sur l’addenda sur le site de l’ABRC

Vous voulez en savoir plus? Erin McKiernan résume les différents moyens par lesquels un chercheur en début de carrière peut encourager le libre accès (lien en anglais).

Earlier today, SPARC and the Right to Research Coalition announced OpenCon 2016 - which will occur on November 12-14, 2016, at the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. 

By Haley Kragness (Photos by Lorraine Chuen and Jan Wildenhain)

What is the Canadian government’s stance towards open principles? What resources do Canadian institutions offer for researchers who want to be open? How is open data changing the landscape in Toronto and beyond?

These were just a few of the questions that arose and were discussed a few weekends ago at OpenCon Toronto 2015. Held at the Mozilla Science Lab coworking space in downtown Toronto, the event drew more than 50 students, entrepreneurs, academics, and professionals from the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area. We brought in experts from both academia and industry to lead discussions about open projects and principles relevant to the open landscape in Canada.

By Brady Yano

The Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) has been working on promoting greater usage of Open Educational Resources (OERs) through the form of open textbooks for the past year in undergraduate courses offered at Simon Fraser University. 

Back in 2012, the BC Provincial Government approved $2 million in funding for the creation of open textbooks to address the 40 most popular first and second year courses taken at post-secondary institutions across the province. While these materials (now totalling 117) were adopted at many teaching intensive institutions across the province, no research intensive institution at the time had adopted a book. As such the SFSS in August 2014 began an initiative called the BC Open Textbook campaign which aimed at educating the SFU community of the available resources and encouraging SFU faculty members to help SFU become the first research intensive institution in BC to adopt an open textbook.

Do you feel passionately about distributing scholarly knowledge in a more equitable way? We are currently seeking 1 to 3 students from each Canadian university to join our network as campus representatives. Campus representatives will be responsible for:

- Meeting with members of the core committee monthly via Google Hangouts
- Leading on-campus initiatives that promote open access, open data, and/or open education
- Liaising between your institutional librarians and the OOO Canada Research Network

Campus representatives will also have the option of helping create website content and writing blogposts. You would eventually have the opportunity to take a greater leadership role on the core committee of the OOO Canada Research Network.

We are looking for enthusiastic people who care deeply about fair access to information and want to take on a leadership position in their community. Representatives should be willing to commit to at least one year in their position. Please e-mail lorrainechuen(at)gmail.com if you have any questions.  We are accepting applications on a rolling basis. We are a small team so it may take some time for us to get back to you! 

If you are interested in being a campus representative, please fill out this application form. 

Our current organizing members meet via internet conference call once a month and work on various open scholarship initiatives in our own institutional and regional communities. 

The OOO Canada Research Network was formed by a group of young Canadians who attended OpenCon in 2014, an international conference which brings together students and early career researchers to discuss how knowledge can be more equitably and efficiently distributed through open access, open data, and open education approaches.  

Organizing Committee:

Haley Kragness (McMaster University) - Co-chair

Lorraine Chuen (Right to Research Coalition) - Co-chair

April Clyburne-Sherin (The Center for Open Science)

Brady Yano (Simon Fraser University)

Juan Pablo Alperin (Simon Fraser University)

Campus Reps:

Elise Couillard (University of Manitoba) 

Billy Liu (McGill University) 

Acknowledgements: 

A big thank you to Joe McArthur and Nick Shockey for their guidance in getting this network off the ground! 

Making Your Research Open: Why and How?
Posted by Haley Kragness · June 28, 2017 11:56 PM

Motivating Open Practices Through Faculty Review and Promotion
Posted by Juan Pablo Alperin · October 25, 2016 1:09 PM

International Open Access Week in Canada
Posted by Lorraine Chuen · October 09, 2016 10:22 PM

The OOO Canada Research Network formed when a few Canadian undergraduate students, graduate students, and early career researchers decided that there was a need for a Canadian branch for open scholarship advocacy.  

Why Institutional Repositories? 

Depositing your manuscript in an institutional repository presents an alternative option to making your research 'open' to publishing in an open access journal.  Just like publishing in an open access journal, publications deposited in institutional repositories are immediately and easily available to the public online.  Institutional repositories are crucial for those who would prefer not to publish in OA journals but need to comply to Canada's new Tri-Agency Open Access Policy. 

Many Canadian institutions have their own institutional repository - check out CARL's comprehensive list to see if your institution does. 

List of Adoptive Repositories

What happens if your institution does not have a repository?  Luckily, a number of Canadian universities have 'adoptive' repositories - ones that welcome articles from researchers in the province or region if the researcher's home institution does not have its own repository.  The following three universities welcome articles from any researcher in Canada. 

University of Alberta - Education & Research Archive

University of Calgary - University of Calgary Institutional Repository

University of Toronto - T Space 

The following five universities welcome articles from researchers in the local region or province. 

University of Victoria - UVicSpace

Simon Fraser University - Summit

University of Manitoba - MSpace

McGill University - eScholarship@McGill

Dalhousie University - DalSpace

McMaster University Open Access Interactive Tool: An interactive tool to help researchers comply with Canada's new Tri-Agency Policy on Open Access. 

Open Access Button: The Open Access Button is a grassroots initiative that provides an easy way to support OA in your everyday work. Just add the button to your browser and click when you encounter a paywall. OA Button will search for open access versions of the paywalled article. If none are found, OA Button emails the authors to ask them to make a copy available.

Directory of Open Access Journals: Not sure if a journal is open access? Check the DOAJ, an online directly cataloguing open access journals.

COAPI: Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions

Overleaf: a tool for writing and collaborating research papers

Open Library of Humanities: gold open access, peer-reviewed, not-for-profit academic platform for publications in the humanities

SHERPA/RoMEO: useful database of publishers' policies on copyright and self-archiving

arXiv: Cornell University Library e-print archive 

GitLab.org: collaborative code-writing tool

Dataverse Network Project: archival repository software that promotes data sharing, persistent data citation, and reproducible research

Dryad: digital data repository 

FigShare: research output repository  

PeerJ: open access mega-journal

Impactstory: a modern day scientific CV for describing your impact in the research community (citations, tweets, shares) 

Altmetric: measures # of online mentions of a scholarly paper in attention from newspapers, blogs, social media, and more.

Click on the above tabs to learn a little bit more about open access, open data, and open education.

Version française: Données Libres d'Accès 

What is Open Data?

Open Data is data that anyone can freely access, use, modify, and share for any purpose [http://opendefinition.org]. Open data can refer to the accessibility of research data or of government data.

Why is Open Data important?

Data is often gathered using public funds and should therefore be useful to the public and belong in the public domain. When data is freely accessible and useable, it can accelerate research and promote collaboration [John Wilbanks, Creative Commons]. 

Does Canada have any Open Data policies in place?

• Open Research Data: Yes and no. Researchers funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are required to share their bioinformatics, atomic, and molecular coordinate data upon publication of their research. However, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) or Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)  “encourage” researchers to share their data as “best practice” but make no requirement in their new Tri-Agency Open Access Policy.

• Open Government Data: The Canadian government launched an open data pilot platform in 2011, and created the “Open Government Portal”. Canada currently ranks 7th in the world for open government data according to the Open Data Barometer, but only 22nd on the Open Data Index because Canada lacks some open datasets including those for government spending  and transportation.

Links to good videos/resources about open data

• The Dataverse Network Project - archival repository software promoting data sharing, persistent data citation, and reproducible research.

• Why open data is still too closed, Ben Wellington, TEDxNewYork [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BTg8OXhEZk]

• Open Data Institute Toronto - supports open data in public policy, civic education, and political engagement [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBMQU2HhjcM]

• OpenNorth - promotes open government data

• Sharing data: good for science, good for you

Links to any upcoming open data conferences?

• 4th International Open Data Conference: 6–7 October 2016 in Madrid, Spain [http://www.iodc2016.es/].

• OpenCon Toronto + OpenCon SFU: November 21 2016 in Toronto + Burnaby, Canada.

Version française: Libre Accès

What is Open Access?  

An Open Access (OA) publication is one that is available freely and immediately online.  OA publications are free from a number of copyright and licensing restrictions: people have the right to not only download digital copies of OA publications free of charge, but also to copy, distribute, and re-use the content.

Why is Open Access important? 

Most academic publications in the world are not open access. Instead, the majority of research is published in closed-access journals, hiding knowledge behind expensive paywalls that only wealthy institutions can afford to bypass. We seem to live in a day and age where knowledge is available only to those who have money - a backward system considering that the internet has made information sharing easier than ever.  If you're still not convinced that OA is the way to go, consider the following points:

• Profits goes into the pockets of wealthy publishers - not to the scientists who are doing the work. The research itself is usually funded by tax-payer money, and the peer review process is done by scientists on a volunteer basis.

• It's not just the public who cannot access articles behind paywalls.  Many academic institutions cannot afford to pay for the sky-rocketing subscription fees of most journals. Science is intended to build on previous findings and be self-correcting, but how do we properly achieve this if many of the world's scientists cannot access these findings?

• We shouldn’t have to live in a world where the manifestation of economic disparities includes disparities in access to knowledge. Is it fair that most university libraries in developed countries can have access to hundreds of academic journals, while students and researchers at universities in developing countries have access to next to none?

Does Canada have any Open Access policies in place? 

Yes! As of May 1, 2015, Canada has implemented a new Tri-Agency Open Access Policy. That means that any federally funded research (research supported by NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR) must be made open access in some format. Here is a simple flowchart that you can download and distribute, which helps researchers determine whether they are required to make their publications open. Even if you are not required to, we encourage you to do so! 

I'm a researcher. How do I make my research open?

There are two primary different ways you can make your research open.

• "Gold" Open Access: you can publish your article in an open access journal like PLoS One, PeerJ, or Frontiers.  This means you can download the article easily for free from the journal's website, since it's "open" from the publisher's end as well. 

• "Green" Open Access:  you can also make your article open even if you don't publish in an open access journal, by making it publicly available yourself. The best way to do this is by depositing your article in an institutional repository, which gets scraped by publication search engines such as Google Scholar. Most journals will legally allow you to do this, as long as you deposit the pre-print version of the article.  This means that even if most of your existing publications are closed access, you still have the ability to retroactively make them open. 

But I'm a grad student! How would I benefit from making my research Open Access? 

 By making your research open, you are increasing your visibility as a researcher within the scientific community: your work will naturally be available to a wider range of scientists, and thus has the potential for being cited more often.  Your research will also be more accessible to popular media sources, enhancing opportunities for connecting with the general public.  If you don’t want to publish in a purely OA journal, be sure to retain your author rights before publishing in a journal; you can do this by using the SPARC Canadian Author Addendum, which will help you keep your right to reproduce and re-use your published work for non-commercial uses.    Talk to your supervisor about this option, ask your institutional librarian more about this, and read more about the author addendum on CARL’s website.

Want to learn more? A really great talk given by researcher Erin McKiernan sums up ways early career researchers can actively support the open movement, and is available here.

This was a useful introduction, but I want to know more! Where can I learn about Open Access?

Here are a list of helpful resources that will get you up to speed on the latest and greatest in the open access community:

• General Resources:
  • http://www.sparc.arl.org/
  • http://www.righttoresearch.org
  • http://www.carl-abrc.ca/en.html

• OpenCon 2014 Webcasts:
  • Open Access 101
  • Talk by Patrick Brown, co-founder of PLoS One
  • Being Open as an Early Career Researcher

• Find more cool resources here!