Spanish universities and open science : a study of barriers and facilitators

Abstract

Open Science (OC) constitutes a new model of science based on collaborative work between academics, on the openness and transparency of all phases of research grouping a set of elements among open access, open data, new metrics and evaluation models. Goal: know the facilitating factors and the barriers that condition the implementation of OS in universities, especially open access, research data and the evaluation of science. Methodology: the responses of the research vice-chancellors of the 76 Spanish universities integrated into the CRUE were analysed, in a survey carried out between September and November 2021. The questionnaire, online, was made up of 53 items integrated into 13 questions. CRUE sent out the questionnaire. Results: with a response rate of 36.8 %; for the most part, the competences of the OS required the Vice-Rectorate for Research. The low frequency (18 %) with which universities specify criteria for the evaluation of their commitment to CA, the availability to almost all of them of a repository, stands out. Facilitating factors have been considered the coordination between the Vice-Rectorates and the library services and the importance given to research in the political agenda, the institutional conviction with change, among other factors. In relation to the evaluation, the vice-chancellors reject the use of the journal's impact factor, in favour of carrying out a qualitative assessment of the article, the use of citations and the consideration of the social impact.

Keywords

• scientific evaluation
• surveys
• free access
• universities
• science and research management
• spain
• scientific research 
• research and development policy