More than fifty non-profit organizations linked to research have launched the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, an initiative to radically transform the scientific evaluation system and make it more open.
The signatories of the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, including ICAC-CERCA, CSUC, and the CERCA Institution, commit to taking the lead in transforming the way research information is used and produced. Openness of information about the conduct and communication of research must be the new norm.
Too often, decision-making in science is based on information managed by for-profit providers, resulting in severe restrictions on using and reusing information (CSUC).
As stated by CSUC, “the reliability of some studies can be compromised due to errors, shortcomings, and biases that are difficult to correct when there is little transparency in the indicators and analytics derived from this information, as well as low reproducibility.
All this poses a challenge for science, which bases decisions on researchers’ careers, the future of research organizations, and ultimately on how science serves all of humanity, on these opaque indicators and analytics.”
This is why different organizations have committed, with this Barcelona Declaration, to make transparency of research information the new norm.
ICAC-CERCA signed the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, an initiative for a fundamental transformation of the research information landscape.
The institutions that adhere to the Barcelona Declaration assume the following commitments:
- We will make openness the default for the research information we use and produce.
- We will work with services and systems that support and enable open research information
- We will support the sustainability of infrastructures for open research information
- We will support collective action to accelerate the transition to openness of research information
Open Research Information
Open research information enables a global movement towards open science based on accessible and transparent information.
The openness of research information allows scientific policy-making based on transparent evidence and inclusive data. It also ensures that the information used in research evaluations is accessible and auditable by evaluators as well as by those being evaluated.
By research information, we mean information (sometimes referred to as metadata) relating to the conduct and communication of research. This includes, but is not limited to, (1) bibliographic metadata such as titles, abstracts, references, author data, affiliation data, and data on publication venues, (2) metadata on research software, research data, samples, and instruments, (3) information on funding and grants, and (4) information on organizations and research contributors. Research information is located in systems such as bibliographic databases, software archives, data repositories, and current research information systems (see https://barcelona-declaration.org/definitions/ for more definitions).
By open research information, we mean research information that is free to access and free of restrictions on reuse.
Available in several languages
The official text of the Barcelona Declaration is in English, but the Declaration has also been translated in the following languages: Spanish, Catalan, Chinese, French, Italian and Russian! Six more languages coming soon!
More information on the initiative at barcelona-declaration.org
The Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information was prepared by a group of over 25 research information experts, representing organizations that carry out, fund, and evaluate research, as well as organizations that provide research information infrastructures. The group met in Barcelona in November 2023 in a workshop hosted by SIRIS Foundation. The preparation of the Declaration was coordinated by Bianca Kramer (Sesame Open Science), Cameron Neylon (Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative, Curtin University), and Ludo Waltman (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University), Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information – (barcelona-declaration.org)
About the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC-CERCA)
The Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC-CERCA) is a CERCA center established as a consortium in 2003 by the Government of Catalonia and the Rovira i Virgili University. It is a Catalan institution with an international scope, at the forefront of research and conservation of archaeological heritage. Its headquarters are located in Tarragona, a city recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2000. Its researchers work to understand the past through the study of archaeological remains and promote the preservation of the historical legacy. We are CERCA!
For more information, visit www.icac.cat.
Related news:
«El CSUC signa la Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information», CSUC, April 16, 2024.
