142 - Open Science: Improving Access and Reducing Bias in Science

The promise of science lies in the discovery of basic knowledge, new treatments for disease and possible solutions to the world’s problems. Fulfilling this promise requires confidence that the findings of published science are valid — that they represent an unbiased conclusion based on available data. In recent years, however, a “reproducibility crisis” has emerged indicating that published findings across research fields may be less credible than they seem, perhaps due to hidden biases in the research process. This talk will provide an overview of the key challenges that reduce the credibility and reproducibility of research and will discuss how open science practices address these challenges. Current practice is sustained by a dysfunctional incentive structure that prioritizes publication over accuracy. Changing the research culture to prioritize “getting it right” over “getting it published” requires nudges to the incentive landscape, while still fueling the engine of innovation and discovery that drives science into new domains.