Lecture 10: Open Science Practices for your MD

Important information

Dr. Gordon Wright
g.wright@gold.ac.uk

Mon 09 Dec, 2024

Introduction

  • Purpose: Enhance transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration.
  • Focus Areas:
    • Open Data
    • Open Materials
    • Reflective Account

Why Open Science Matters

  • Ensures research credibility and integrity.
  • Facilitates peer review and replication.
  • Increases research visibility and impact.
  • Encourages innovation and collaborative opportunities.

Open Data Requirements

What is Open Data?

  • Definition: Making research data accessible for transparency and reproducibility.
  • Benefits:
    • Promotes collaboration.
    • Advances scientific knowledge.
    • Increases study credibility.

Preparing Your Data

  • Clean, validate, and anonymize your data.
  • Remove errors, inconsistencies, or missing values.
  • Anonymize participant data: Replace PII with unique identifiers.

Data Dictionary

  • Document the dataset structure for easy understanding:
    • Variable names and descriptions
    • Data types (categorical, continuous)
    • Units of measurement (e.g., ms, hours)
    • Coding schemes (if applicable)

Documenting Pre-processing

  • Describe decisions on exclusions, missing data handling.
  • Keep a record of processing steps for transparency.

Choosing Suitable Formats

  • CSV, Excel (.xlsx), SPSS (.sav), Jamovi, R.
  • Ensure formats are user-friendly and well-documented.

Where to Avoid SPSS Dumps

  • Important: Do not submit the full SPSS output.
  • What to Include:
    • Key statistics and results in your report.
    • Relevant outputs only for transparency.

Open Materials Requirements

Why Submit Open Materials?

  • Enables replication and evaluation of research.
  • Ensures all materials are well-organized and complete.

Key Materials to Include

  • Stimuli (images, videos, text)
  • Experimental software/scripts
  • Data collection tools (surveys, questionnaires)
  • Consent, debriefing, and ethics forms
  • Study protocols and task instructions

Documenting Your Materials

  • Provide a description of each item’s purpose.
  • Indicate whether materials are IVs or DVs.
  • Include labels, reverse-coded items, and response scales.

Study Design

  • Study types: Repeated Measures, Mixed, Between-Groups.
  • Participants: Demographics, recruitment, sample size, inclusion/exclusion criteria.
  • Procedures: Task instructions, randomization, counterbalancing.

Anonymizing and Sharing

  • Ensure PII is removed.
  • Redact researcher names if anonymity is required.
  • Prepare files in text, spreadsheet, or PDF formats.

Submission Organization

  • Consider a README file for clarity.
  • Index documents logically for easy navigation.

Reflective Account Requirements

Why Reflect?

  • Develop deeper learning and research skills.
  • Prepare for future research projects and careers.

Reflection Guide 1/2

  • Document Your Journey:
    • Research phases, successes, and challenges.
    • Record decisions and learning experiences.
  • Ask Critical Questions:
    • What worked well? What could improve?
    • How did challenges affect your outcomes?

Reflection Guide 2/2

  • Evaluate & Synthesize:
    • Identify strengths and areas for improvement.
    • Set future research goals.
  • Consider Future Impact:
    • How does your research fit into the broader field?
    • What next steps could advance this line of inquiry?

Summary & Reminders

  • Must Submit:
    • Open Data
    • Open Materials
    • Reflective Account
  • Ask Questions:
    • Use lab sessions or discussion forums.
    • Seek feedback from peers and instructors.

Thank You!

  • Questions?
  • Let’s make research open and reproducible!

Research Methods Lecture 10