Networks and Open Research

Scientific Method

So here I am sat in a room on my own with a laptop in front of me. To the casual observer, it may seem like I’m being extremely anti-social, but this couldn’t be further from the reality of the situation at all. In fact, I’m currently having five completely different conversations with real people who live tens of miles away. To me this is the norm, but I know it wasn’t always this way.

With the advent of the Internet, the world has been getting smaller and smaller. Where social interaction was once limited to those in your local area, now you can have an instant conversation with someone on the other side of the world; they don’t even have to be at a computer! This technology has opened the door not only for social interaction, but also for the way we share knowledge and the way that data is now consumed by the masses. Nowadays we are all connected to a wealth of data that can be accessed anywhere at any time. We are no longer restricted in what we learn, when we learn it, or even the source we learn it from! This has paved the way for new way of conducting research and has resulted in the emergence of a new science movement named Science 2.0.

A description from Science  describes Science 2.0 as – “using the networking power of the internet to tackle problems with multiple interacting variables”.

Science 2.0 is an umbrella term used to describe the practice of sharing information and using collaborative approaches that have been made possible through web 2.0 technologies. It’s all about using online tools to collaborate and share knowledge for the betterment of mankind. Everything is shared openly and there is no underlying aim to make a profit out of helping fellow scientists. In this spirit, Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Here is a video that may help to shed further light on open research!

So what is wrong with Science 1.0 and why should we use Science 2.0? For starters, Science 1.0 methods can be plain boring! You have to contend with venturing out into the world carrying mountains of books (most of which are heavy) to and from libraries; this involves dealing with the weather, and other obstacles in your way. This method can be very slow as you are reliant on static information that is not always readily available. If a book, journal, or other item, is not available in your local area, you will either have to buy a copy or travel to the place that has the information you require; this can get costly!

Science 2.0, on the other hand, is extremely dynamic and can also be very fun! It gives you the opportunity to source audio, video, maps, and other multimedia content from a multitude of different sources, whilst simultaneously harnessing written information from libraries across the globe! This method encourages collaboration between different people; by using social media platforms, such as Twitter, help can be found at any time of the day just by sending out a short message that is tailored towards a specific group of people. This has led to the rise of the hashtag as a means to “tag” specific topics and group them together. This is an extremely powerful tool but if used incorrectly it can be counterproductive…

Open research projects, such as Galaxy Zoo, have proven that people like to collaborate and contribute to on going research! In this project, the general public have been helping to identify specific characteristic of galaxies just by looking at photos online and submitting an answer. In a video called Growing Knowledge – An Overview, Chris Lintott discusses how perceptions from different human beings can vary greatly; everybody looks for different things when trying to problem solve. This is why Science 2.0 and open research is so valuable in the academic community.

As you can tell, networks and open research is a huge topic and I’ve barely even scratched the surface in this post! I hope this has given everyone an insight into Science 2.0 and the potential it has in helping solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. If you want to read more about the topic, check out the references below!!

British Library, Growing Knowledge – An Overview

Mark Hahnel, The Guardian, Open Data: We need to share research results, even when they are wrong

http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2013/oct/08/open-research-data-science-papers

Spreading Science, What is Science 2.0?

What’s Science 2.0?

Zooniverse, Galaxy Zoo Project

http://www.galaxyzoo.org/

Science Magazine

http://www.sciencemag.org/

Richard Smith, The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/may/14/medicine20