TY - JOUR
T1 - Messing with Merton
T2 - The intersection between open science practices and Mertonian values
AU - Hosseini, Mohammad
AU - Senabre Hidalgo, Enric
AU - Horbach, Serge P.J.M.
AU - Güttinger, Stephan
AU - Penders, Bart
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024/7
Y1 - 2024/7
N2 - Although adherence to Mertonian values of science (i.e., communism, universalism, organized skepticism, disinterestedness) is desired and promoted in academia, such adherence can cause friction with the normative structures and practices of Open Science. Mertonian values and Open Science practices aim to improve the conduct and communication of research and are promoted by institutional actors. However, Mertonian values remain mostly idealistic and contextualized in local and disciplinary cultures and Open Science practices rely heavily on third-party resources and technology that are not equally accessible to all parties. Furthermore, although still popular, Mertonian values were developed in a different institutional and political context. In this article, we argue that new normative structures for science need to look beyond nostalgia and consider aspirations and outcomes of Open Science practices. To contribute to such a vision, we explore the intersection of several Open Science practices with Mertonian values to flesh out challenges involved in upholding these values. We demonstrate that this intersection becomes complicated when the interests of numerous groups collide and contrast. Acknowledging and exploring such tensions informs our understanding of researchers’ behavior and supports efforts that seek to improve researchers’ interactions with other normative structures such as research ethics and integrity frameworks.
AB - Although adherence to Mertonian values of science (i.e., communism, universalism, organized skepticism, disinterestedness) is desired and promoted in academia, such adherence can cause friction with the normative structures and practices of Open Science. Mertonian values and Open Science practices aim to improve the conduct and communication of research and are promoted by institutional actors. However, Mertonian values remain mostly idealistic and contextualized in local and disciplinary cultures and Open Science practices rely heavily on third-party resources and technology that are not equally accessible to all parties. Furthermore, although still popular, Mertonian values were developed in a different institutional and political context. In this article, we argue that new normative structures for science need to look beyond nostalgia and consider aspirations and outcomes of Open Science practices. To contribute to such a vision, we explore the intersection of several Open Science practices with Mertonian values to flesh out challenges involved in upholding these values. We demonstrate that this intersection becomes complicated when the interests of numerous groups collide and contrast. Acknowledging and exploring such tensions informs our understanding of researchers’ behavior and supports efforts that seek to improve researchers’ interactions with other normative structures such as research ethics and integrity frameworks.
KW - communism
KW - disinterestedness
KW - Merton
KW - Open Science
KW - organized skepticism
KW - research integrity
KW - Universalism
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85141641379
U2 - 10.1080/08989621.2022.2141625
DO - 10.1080/08989621.2022.2141625
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36303330
AN - SCOPUS:85141641379
SN - 0898-9621
VL - 31
SP - 428
EP - 455
JO - Accountability in Research
JF - Accountability in Research
IS - 5
ER -