Translated from the original in Spanish

Editorial

Open science: a commitment to research and education

La ciencia abierta: un compromiso con la investigación y la educación

Ciência aberta: um compromisso com a pesquisa e a educação

PhD. Yudit Rovira Álvarez¹ https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3232-9372
PhD. Vilma María Pérez Viñas¹ https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3041-096X

¹University of Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca". Cuba judy@upr.edu.cu, vilma.perez@upr.edu.cu

Dear readers:

In this editorial, Mendive. Revista de educación addresses a topic of great relevance and impact for scientific research and education in our region: open science. Furthermore, it makes clear its position regarding this international movement that is transforming the way knowledge is produced and shared.

Open science is not a new movement. Its origins date back to the 17th century, with the appearance of scientific journals that disseminated research results so that they could be replicated by other scientists. However, these traditional practices, based on rigorous investigative procedures, were very competitive and confidential, and did not encourage collaboration among researchers.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, a series of initiatives have been promoted that reflect the international social and scientific commitment to open science. Among them, the following statements stand out:

• Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002), which supports free access to scientific literature over the Internet, respecting copyright laws.
• Bethesda Declaration (2003), which defends the archiving of works in open access repositories.
• Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003), which supports the open science movement and commits institutions to favor and promote this path.

According to the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (UNESCO, 2023), which Mendive assumes as its own, open science is defined as:

(…) a set of principles and practices that aim to make scientific research in all fields accessible to all for the benefit of scientists and society as a whole. Open science is about ensuring not only that scientific knowledge is accessible, but also that the production of that knowledge itself is inclusive, equitable and sustainable. (s/p)

On the other hand, a considerable number of editors of scientific journals still encounter barriers to applying the practices on which open science is based. The main barrier to a complete implementation of open science is the fact of making the evaluation process by experts, open peer review (OPR), transparent and without anonymity, which generates suspicion, and is seen as having more drawbacks than advantages. Hence, only a minimal percentage of journals implement open peer reviews (Melero et al., 2022).

Mendive, committed from the beginning to the adoption and promotion of open science practices in all stages of the editorial process, from the reception of manuscripts to the dissemination of articles, considers that "access to scientific knowledge should be as open as possible." as possible, but sometimes it may need to be restricted" (UNESCO, 2023, s/p) when circumstances demand it, for the common good.

Open science involves open access to scientific information and cultural heritage, open peer review, open research data, open codes, open education, open communication, open innovation and citizen science, among others. aspects. It is necessary to analyze the concepts, dimensions and indicators of open science, as well as the challenges and opportunities to improve the quality and impact of research, increase the transparency and accountability of scientific processes (Arevalo, 2018).

A recent study on trends in open science and open access scientific policies in Ibero-America (Babini and Rovelli, 2020), prepared by the Latin American Forum on Scientific Evaluation (FOLEC) of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), an international institution not government with associative status in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and an undisputed reference for postgraduate training, as well as for the production and circulation of knowledge in the region, reveals some of the most current trends in the Ibero-American context:

• Open science and open access are global trends that promote the democratization of knowledge, the transparency of research and collaboration between scientists and society.
• Ibero-America has a long tradition of open access, driven by academic networks, institutional repositories and quality and prestigious scientific journals.
• However, there are challenges and tensions to consolidate open science and open access in the region, such as the lack of resources, the pressure to publish in high-impact international journals, the digital divide, and the diversity of regulatory and cultural frameworks.
• It is necessary to strengthen institutional and human capacities to implement open science and open access policies, as well as promote dialogue and cooperation between the actors involved: governments, universities, publishers, libraries, researchers and civil society.
• Open science and open access offer opportunities to improve the quality, visibility and impact of Ibero-American research, as well as to contribute to the social, economic and environmental development of the region.

Mendive, from the open access digital platform, has adopted the open peer review modality, which allows authors, editors and readers to interact and improve the quality of published articles, on the other hand, the publication of articles in Spanish and English, with title and summary in Portuguese, facilitates the dissemination and exchange of educational knowledge between the countries of the region and the world.

The Journal follows criteria of quality and scientific rigor, without giving up regional identity and relevance and, without submitting to the commercial and hegemonic logic of research evaluation, it also expands its incorporation into networks and is open to strategic alliances with other journals, institutions and organizations that support open science and open access, and that defend the rights of authors, editors and readers.

From this perspective, as an agent of change and educational innovation, Mendive periodically evaluates the lines in close relationship with human development, culture, society, science, technology, health, the environment, art, literature, communication, media, gender, diversity, values, citizenship, innovation, quality, training, professionalization, curriculum, evaluation, didactics, methodology, psychology, guidance, history, philosophy, politics and management, and is committed to continuing to offer a scientific publication of quality, relevance and social impact, which contributes to the advancement of knowledge and sustainable development.

Mendive. Since its inception, Revista de Educación has assumed an open science approach that contemplates principles and practices in line with current trends, which is why it assumes open science as a way to democratize knowledge, make research transparent and collaborate with society, in line with the values of Cuban education and the Ibero-American region.

For this reason, we invite you to read the articles that make up this issue, which consolidate our policies for education in Latin America and the world, from a more open, inclusive and democratic science.

REFERENCES

Arevalo, J. A. (2018). Evaluación de la ciencia abierta: un modelo basado en indicadores de calidad, impacto y transparencia. Revista Española de Documentación Científica, 41(4), e230. https://doi.org/10.3989/redc.2018.4.1530

Babini, D. & Rovelli, L. (2020). Tendencias recientes en las políticas científicas de Ciencia Abierta y Acceso Abierto en Iberoamérica. CLACSO-Fundación Carolina. https://www.clacso.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Ciencia-Abierta-1.pdf

Institute, H. H. M. (2003). Declaración de Bethesda sobre Publicación de Acceso Abierto. https://hdl.handle.net/10421/3623

Max Planck Society. (2003). Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. Germany: Max Planck Society https://openaccess.mpg.de/Berlin-Declaration

Melero, R., Boté Vericad, J. J., & López Borrull, A. (2022). Percepciones sobre la ciencia abierta evaluadas por editores de publicaciones académicas publicadas en España. Learned Publishing, 36(2), 1511. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1511

Organización de Naciones Unidas para la Educación la Ciencia y Cultura (UNESCO) (2023). Recommendation on Open Science. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/open-science/about?hub=686

Conflict of interests:

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Authors' contribution:

The authors participated in the conception and writing of this editorial.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 4.0 International License