Open Science as a Means to Decolonize Scientific Publishing and Foster Fairer Research Collaborations

Organisers:

Brigitte Portner, Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel, Susanne Wymann von Dach (Mountain Research and Development, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern)
Andrea Hacker, Dirk Verdicchio (Open Science Team, University Library Bern)

Scientific publishing is a cornerstone of research. However, current publishing systems are highly unequal, providing limited access and benefits to most researchers in the Global South. Open Science is therefore a must in any decolonizing pathway that seeks to redress historical power imbalances in global knowledge production and dissemination. The Open Science movement aims to make scientific knowledge available, accessible, and reusable for everyone, and to foster inclusive collaborations and include different knowledge systems in the process of scientific knowledge production and communication (UNESCO 2021).

How can academies, universities, journals, and the scientific community at large help to decolonize research partnerships with Open Science? What insights have Swiss scientific institutions and their partners in developing countries gained with regard to Open Science? What pitfalls do we need to avoid? How do we open up spaces for alternative ways of producing and communicating scientific knowledge?

In this 120-minute virtual workshop, participants will jointly explore pathways that work towards decolonizing research partnerships based on the principles of Open Science as a global public good. It will start with a presentation of innovative publishing experiences of the scientific journal Mountain Research and Development, followed by insights on ambivalent Open Science practices from the perspective of the Open Science Team of the University Library of Bern, as well as a presentation from two Trainees of Open Peer Reviewers in Africa. Mercury Shitindo, PhD Fellow in Research Ethics at St.Paul’s University, Kenya, and PaaNii Johnson, Full Professor in Food Science and Technology, CSIR College of Science and Technology, Ghana will share their experiences of the Open Peer Reviewers in Africa project. After these short inputs, an interactive “open space technology” format will allow participants to propose topics for discussion and delve into a co-learning process.