ICArEHB’s Open Science Vision

ICArEHB researchers are acutely aware of the ethical, professional, and scientific implications of being stewards of the past. As part of this effort, we embrace the concept of Open Science where research is made transparent and reproducible at every step. This means our projects are reviewed and validated by our peers and local communities before and during projects. It means our procedures, software, code, and other outputs are also made accessible to the benefit of other scientists, the general public, and policymakers to transform scientific work into public policy when necessary. And, it means that our raw data about humanity’s past is archived and made available to everyone to benefit our future. The ICArEHB Open Science Vision creates transparent and equitable contributions to society and scientific discovery worldwide.

Open methodology

Did you know that even before it starts, projects can be examined and validated by other experts? All ICArEHB projects are peer-reviewed through an internal review process or by a third-party benefactor. ICArEHB researchers are also encouraged to pre-register their studies in journals and platforms, ensuring rapid dissemination of data and ideas and reducing publication bias.  

Open source

ICArEHB researchers are encouraged to use open-source software and file formats that everyone can use freely. Our intellectual output, including code, software, apps, and other methods are published rapidly and made available equitable worldwide. Check out some of these examples here and here.

Open publication

ICArEHB publications are Open Access. This means our center covers publication costs, when required, to make sure that everyone can have access to our results. You can consult our list of publications and respective links here. 

ICArEHB scientific outputs are often published as articles, monographs, handbooks, and other traditional output platforms. However, we are also exploring new ways of scientific dissemination via social media and the internet to promote rapid and equitable access worldwide.

Open communication

Scientific communication is difficult because it often requires explaining detailed concepts and their nuances to diverse audiences. At ICArEHB, we value the benefits of science communication to our peers as a way to promote new research and ideas, but also to the public as a way to promote public-private partnerships that allows everyone to contribute to our understanding of our past. The Science Communication Lab is leads ICArEHB outreach, leveraging new technologies and formats to reach bigger audiences and explain the relevance of our findings to contemporary people. 

Check here to learn more about our past and future outreach events. If you would like ICArEHB to participate in school activities or in a fair, please contact us to discuss possibilities.

Open data

The most value asset at ICArEHB is the data; often irreplaceable, often taking hundreds of hours to collect and understand. Our data is what drives our scientific contributions. At ICArEHB, we provide free and general access to our data to promote new research and let everyone participate in the act scientific discovery.

To simplify the process of making data open, we have also developed wikis where researchers and students can learn more about open science and make their own data available to everyone, This guide discusses the current demands for open science using contemporary trusted platforms that centralize the open science process like Preregistrations, Data Storage and Versioning, Pre-prints, License attribution, Persistent Identifier Creation, Metadata creation for maximum machine-actionable Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Re-usability (FAIR).