It’s International Love Data Week 2025!

By Kirsty, on 10 February 2025

In true UCL tradition, we kickstart the week with the annual Research Data Management review so take a look at our poster and see what we’ve been doing in the Library!

Ethics of Open Science: Managing dangers to scientists

By Kirsty, on 5 February 2025

Guest post by Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health, building on his captivating presentation in Session 2 of the UCL Open Science Conference 2024.

Open Science brings potential dangers to scientists and ways of managing those dangers. In doing so, opportunities emerge to show the world the harm some people face, such as the murder of environmental activists and investigations of child sexual abuse, hopefully leading to positive action to counter these problems.

Yet risks can appear for scientists. Even doing basic climate change science has led to death threats. Two examples in this blog indicate how to manage dangers to scientists.

Disaster diplomacy

Disaster diplomacy research examines how and why disaster-related activities—before, during, and after a disaster—do and do not influence all forms of conflict and cooperation, ranging from open warfare to signing peace deals. So far, no example has been identified in which disaster-related activities, including a major calamity, led to entirely new and lasting conflict or cooperation. An underlying reason to favour enmity or amity is always found, with disaster-related activities being one reason among many to pursue already decided politics.

The 26 December 2004 tsunamis around the Indian Ocean devastated Sri Lanka and Aceh in Indonesia, both of which had been wracked by decades of violent conflict. On the basis of ongoing, secret negotiations which were spurred along by the post-earthquake/tsunami humanitarian effort, a peace deal was reached in Aceh and it held. Simultaneously in Sri Lanka, the disaster relief was deliberately used to continue the conflict which was eventually ended by military means. In both locations, the pre-existing desire for peace and conflict respectively produced the witnessed outcome.

This disaster diplomacy conclusion is the pattern for formal processes, such as politicians, diplomats, celebrities, businesses, non-governmental organisations, or media leading the work. It is less certain for informal approaches: individuals helping one another in times of need or travelling to ‘enemy states’ as tourists or workers—or as scientists.

Openly publishing on disaster diplomacy could influence conflict and cooperation processes by suggesting ideas which decision-makers might not have considered. Or it could spotlight negotiations which detractors seek to scuttle. If a scientist had published on the closed-door Aceh peace talks, the result might have emulated Sri Lanka. The scientist would then have endangered a country as well as themselves by being blamed for perpetuating the violence.

Imagine if South Korea’s President, seeking a back door to reconciliation with North Korea, sends to Pyongyang flood engineers and scientists who regularly update their work online. They make social gaffes, embarrassing South Korea, or are merely arrested and made scapegoats on the whim of North Korea’s leader who is fed up with the world seeing what North Korea lacks. The scientists and engineers are endangered as much as the reconciliation process.

Open Science brings disaster diplomacy opportunities by letting those involved know what has and has not worked. It can lead to situations in which scientists are placed at the peril of politics.

Figure 1: Looking across the Im Jin River into North Korea from South Korea (photo by Ilan Kelman).

Underworlds

Scientists study topics in which people are in danger, such as child soldiers, human trafficking, and political movements or sexualities that are illegal in the country being examined. The scientists can be threatened as much as the people being researched. In 2016, a PhD student based in the UK who was researching trade unions in Cairo was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered.

In 2014, a PhD student based in the UK was one of a group placed on trial in London for ‘place-hacking’ or ‘urban exploring’ (urbex), in which they enter or climb disused or under-construction infrastructure. Aside from potentially trespassing, these places are often closed for safety reasons. The scientist places themselves in danger to research this subculture on-site, in action.

All these risks are manageable and they are managed. Any such research in the UK must go through a rigorous research ethics approval process alongside a detailed risk assessment. This paperwork can take months, to ensure that the dangers have been considered and mitigated, although when conducted improperly, the process itself can be detrimental to research ethics.

Many urbex proponents offer lengthy safety advice and insist that activities be conducted legally. Nor should researchers necessarily shy away from hard subject matter because a government dislikes the work.

Open Science publishing on these topics can remain ethical by ensuring anonymity and confidentiality of sources as well as not publishing when the scientist is in a place where they could be in danger. This task is not always straightforward. Anonymity and confidentiality can protect criminals. Scientists might live and work in the country of research, so they cannot escape the danger. How ethical is it for a scientist to be involved in the illegal activities they are researching?

Figure 2: The Shard in London, a desirable  place for ‘urban exploring’ when it was under construction (photo by Ilan Kelman).

Caution, care, and balance

Balance is important between publishing Open Science on topics involving dangers and not putting scientists or others at unnecessary peril while pursuing the research and publication. Awareness of the potential drawbacks of doing the research and of suitable research ethics, risk assessments, and research monitoring can instil caution and care without compromising the scientific process or Open Science.

OOSS Review of the Year

By Kirsty, on 14 January 2025

Here in the Office for Open Science & Scholarship we like to start every new year by taking a look back over the last and sharing our highlights with you.

In 2024 the Open Access Team facilitated the Gold open access publication of 3,963 papers. UCL Discovery continued to go from strength to strength, with over 53 million downloads. The publications repository now boasts over 185,000 open access items, including 24,900 theses, with over 15,500 uploads in the preceding twelve months.

The Research Data Management Team has had an equally productive year, publishing over 230 items in the data repository which has now exceeded 230,000 views and a similar number of downloads. They have reviewed over 30 data management plans and held classes for over 70 people, both online and in person. There are still seats available for term 2 that can be booked online.

Updates and publications

Across all of the teams that make up the Office we have published a whole host of documents and updates such as:

• New version of research data policy
• New-look RDR website
• Newly launched principles for Citizen Science
• Co-created UCL Principles of Authorship
• Open Science Case Studies

Our blog highlights

The blog has been super busy throughout the year with one of our personal highlights being the brilliant series of posts by Christine Daoutis, UCL’s Copyright Officer that looked at a range of issues around copyright in open science including a deep dive across three posts into Copyright and AI, how copyright exceptions can support your research and how copyright applies to Text and Data mining.

We also had some great events throughout the year that you can catch up on, from our annual Open Science Conference, the second annual Open Science & Scholarship Awards, and our first ever Citizen Science Community Event.

We also had a great time working with the UCL Digital Accessibility team throughout the year, they have been a great support in improving the accessibility of everything we do. We were able to highlight their work in one of our Newsletters and we also interviewed Ben Watson, Head of Digital Accessibility, who was a great sport and is an overall inspirational guy!

Upcoming in 2025

by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/gdTxVSAE5sk

We have a great year ahead in 2025, we have the imminent publication of our next Operational plan, designed to push the team to bigger and better things for the office. We are hoping to get that out in the first quarter of the year, its just going through various stages of internal feedback before we can get it out there! We will be continuing to grow our newest social media channels LinkedIn and BlueSky, and if you don’t subscribe to our newsletter, now’s your chance!

We will also be challenging ourself to bigger and better things when it comes to our conference. You all know that we like to change it up and this year we are reaching out to friends and colleagues to change our conference into our first festival!

We will also be continuing the brilliant series with Ilan Kelman on the Risks and Opportunities of Open Science. We have already shared the first two parts but keep an eye out for the last three parts coming soon!

Ethics of Open Science: Managing dangers to the public

By Kirsty, on 17 December 2024

Guest post by Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health, building on his captivating presentation in Session 2 of the UCL Open Science Conference 2024.

Open Science brings risks and opportunities when considering dangers to the public from conducting and publishing science. Opportunities mean detailing societal problems and responses to them, which could galvanise positive action to make society safer. Examples are the effectiveness of anti-bullying techniques, health impacts from various paints, and companies selling cars they knew were dangerous.

Risks emerge if pursuing or publicising research might change or create dangers to the public. Highlighting how pickpockets or street scams operate help the public protect themselves, yet could lead the perpetrators to changing their operations, making them harder to detect. Emphasising casualties from cycling could lead to more driving, increasing the health consequences from air pollution and vehicle crashes.

The latter might be avoided by comparing cycling’s health benefits and risks, including with respect to air pollution and crashes. Meanwhile, understanding pickpocketing awareness and prevention should contribute to reducing this crime over the long-term, if people learn from the science and take action.

In other words, context and presentation matter for risks and opportunities from Open Science regarding dangers to the public. Sometimes, though, the context is that science can be applied nefariously.

Explosives research

Airplane security is a major concern for travellers, with most governments implementing stringent measures at airports and in the air. Legitimate research questions for public safety relate to smuggling firearms through airport security and the bomb resistance of different aircraft.

Fiction frequently speculates, including in movies. A Fish Called Wanda showed a loaded gun getting past airport security screening while Non-Stop portrayed a bomb placed aboard a commercial flight.

Desk analyses could and should discuss these scenes’ dramatism and level of realism, just as the movies are analysed in other ways. Scientists could and should work with governments, security organisations, airport authorities, and airline companies to understand threats to aviation and countering them.

Open Science could compromise the gains from this collaboration. It could reveal the bomb type required to breach an airport’s fuselage or the key ways to get a weapon on board. The satirical news service, The Onion, lampooned the presumption of publicising how to get past airport security.

Figure 1: We should research a cargo hold’s explosion resistance, but why publicise the results? (photo by Ilan Kelman).

Endangering activists

The public can endanger themselves by seeking Open Science. I ran a research project examining corporate social responsibility for Arctic petroleum with examples in Norway and Russia. In one Russian site, locals showed our researcher decaying oil and gas infrastructure, including leaks. These local activists were assured of confidentiality and anonymity, which is a moral imperative as well as a legal requirement.

Not all of them supported this lack of identification. They preferred entirely Open Science, hoping that researchers outside of Russia would have the credibility and influence to generate action for making their community and environment safer and healthier. They were well aware of the possible consequences of them being identified (or of publicising enough information to make them identifiable). They were willing to take these risks, hoping for gain.

Figure 2: Trinity Tower, the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia during petroleum research (photo by Ilan Kelman).

We were not permitted to accede to their requests. We certainly published on and publicised our work, using as much Open Science as we could without violating our research ethics approval, as both an ethical and legal duty. We remain inspired and concerned that the activists, seeking to save their own lives, could pursue citizen science which, if entirely open as some of them would prefer, could place them in danger.

Caution, care, and balance

Open Science sometimes brings potential dangers to the public. Being aware of and cautious about these problems means being able to prevent them. Then, a balance can be achieved between needing Open Science and not worsening or creating dangers.

Reflections on the UCL Citizen Science Community Event

By Kirsty, on 11 December 2024

Post provided by Sheetal Saujani, Citizen Science Support Officer.

This week’s UCL Citizen Science Community Event brought researchers, academics, students and staff from across UCL together to celebrate citizen science and participatory research. The slides and programme are available online so that everyone can follow up with the references.

The morning was packed with engaging talks and workshops, highlighting unique perspectives and approaches to citizen science. From discussions about an innovative mapping tool and the role of the UCL Urban Room in preserving local memories to hands-on workshops that sparked new ideas, the event demonstrated the diversity and potential of citizen-led research. One highlight was seeing the genuine passion from the presenters, whose enthusiasm was contagious.

At the start of the event, the Citizen Science team at the Office for Science and Scholarship and the UCL Co-Production and Public Engagement teams showcased their services and support including training, resources and advice. Their dedication to supporting citizen science and public engagement left everyone excited and ready to get involved. Both teams are eager to hear from the UCL community about their projects and the support they may need, so they encourage everyone to get in touch.

We also heard from Marcos Moreu and Fabien Moustard from the Extreme Citizen Science Research Group (ExCites) about a new tool called Kapta that they have been involved in the design for, allowing mapping data to be collected simply using WhatsApp, allowing small or remote communities to collect data without extensive knowledge or additional training. More information can be found by looking at the slides above or on Kapta.earth.

Professor Muki Haklay delved into the topic of skills and competencies in citizen science, exploring how competency frameworks define the skills, knowledge, and values needed for success in this field. His talk highlighted frameworks like the UCL Academic Careers Framework, Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework, and ECS Academy’s Research Competencies framework, which outline progression paths, accreditation standards, and expectations at foundational to expert levels. These frameworks not only codify what individuals need to know but also guide learning, recruitment, and career development. A live Mentimeter poll engaged attendees, inviting their perspectives on key skills, competencies and areas for development, sparking conversations about advancing expertise in citizen science.

Dr Izzy Bishop led an interactive session where participants contributed their thoughts on the various elements required to include citizen science in a project proposal. The flipchart became a dynamic map, highlighting key areas such as co-design, engagement, training, communications, technology, volunteer management, data analysis, and impact. Each participant helped to identify UCL’s expertise and interest in these areas, promoting collaboration and a shared understanding.

We also discussed strategies for applying for and sustaining project funding, with a focus on Horizon Europe opportunities. Professor Muki Haklay provided valuable insights on successfully navigating the application process and securing support for citizen science initiatives.

Hearing Jo Baines discuss UCL’s Urban Room, and the innovative Memory Workshop was truly inspiring. These projects showcase the power of engaging communities, including underrepresented groups, to explore shared histories and reimagine urban spaces. The Memory Workshop and Memory Bike demonstrate citizen science in action, amplifying diverse voices, and uncovering new insights through creative, participatory research. By equipping participants with skills and tools that extend beyond the projects, they highlight how citizen science connects people and ideas to drive meaningful change.

We were captivated by voices from two remarkable projects Flotilla by Melanie Manchot and Breaking Waves, which highlight the power of art and storytelling to link communities and preserve collective memory. Both reflect the spirit of citizen science by fostering connections and inspiring new perspectives. The links to experience these projects for yourself are available in the slides linked above.

Before the event closed, there was a fun and relaxed speed networking session. The vibrant spirit of session encouraged meaningful conversations and connections, reminding us of the value of sharing knowledge and experiences across disciplines and communities!

A huge thank you to all the speakers, workshop leaders, and participants who made the event so worthwhile. We hope everyone left as inspired as we did to continue championing citizen science!

Research Support Advent Calendar 2024

By Kirsty, on 29 November 2024

This year we are pleased to share our Advent Calendar of Research Support with you!

We will be posting links every day on our Bluesky account. If you’re not on Bluesky yet, don’t worry — we’ve shared the calendar below for you to view at your own time. We will also keep this post updated throughout the month with an accessible version of the content.

1 December: On the first day of advent, improve the visibility of your research by updating your UCL public profile, recently revamped with key fields in RPS, including the new UN Sustainable Development Goals section, to align your research with global initiatives.
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/open-science-research-support/ucl-profiles/getting-started-your-public-profile

• UCL front quad, looking towards Cruciform, an elegant red brick building. It is dark and the picture is lined with trees with purple and blue lights.

2 December: Countdown to Christmas with Citizen Science…Join UCL’s first Citizen Science community event on 9 December! Let’s discover, share and network this season. Don’t forget to join our online network too! https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/open-access/2024/11/13/get-involved-ucls-first-citizen-science-community-event-on-9-december-join-our-online-network/

• Image by Alejandro Salinas Lopez “alperucho” on UCL imagestore. A group of three women in warm clothing toasting with cups of coffee at night.

3 December: Is Santa’s Christmas naughty or nice list copyrighted? Think of it as research data…Take our Christmas copyright quiz to learn more! https://ucl-global.libwizard.com/f/copyright_Christmas_quiz Image created using Copilot on 22 November

• Image: cartoon of a copyright symbol with a white beard and Christmas hat.

4 December: Today we are celebrating the 10 years since the IOE’s merger with UCL. Check out the action on the UCL Press channels.

• Image from UCL Press. A perspective shot of the IOE looking up, looks like a stack of big concrete blocks.

5 December: Learn how to connect your ORCID to UCL’s Research Publications Service (RPS) for up-to-date records and easier #OpenAccess compliance. More info: https://buff.ly/3WALW3s

• Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore. UCL front quad at twilight. In front of the portico is a Christmas tree decorated with yellow lights. To the right of the image is a leafless tree decorated with purple and pink lights which can be seen reflecting off the white building beyond.

6 December: Tis the season…for data management planning!
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/open-science-research-support/research-data-management/policies/managing-data-across-research

• Image by Alejandro Salinas Lopez “alperucho” on UCL imagestore. Image shows a Christmas garland over and arch with people walking through, slightly out of focus. The garland is threaded with yellow lights and the words Happy Holiday Season are written in pink lights.

7 December: Ever wondered if your publications are being cited in policy documents, and where? With policy and grey literature databases like Overton, you can discover who is citing your work and how it’s influencing decision-making documents. https://library-guides.ucl.ac.uk/research-metrics/overton

• Image by Mat Wright on UCL imagestore. A girl with dark hair and wire rimmed glasses wearing a yellow jumper sits at a laptop. In the background can be seen colourful book stacks.

8 December: Explore this year’s Open Science Conference collections available on UCL’s Media Central and Research Data Repository! Access talks, posters, and insights from UCL researchers advancing open science, and share in the wealth of knowledge supporting our open research community.
https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/open-access/2024/07/11/from-policy-to-practice-ucl-open-science-conference-2024/

• Image by John Moloney on UCL imagestore. A group of people in business attire socialising with drinks. Picture is taken from a distance and slightly above.

9 December: Early Christmas Present?.. Yes please! Learn more about archiving your research outputs using the UCL Research Data Repository: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/open-science-research-support/research-data-management/ucl-research-data-repository

• Image by UCL Media Services on UCL imagestore. A close up of a bright purple bauble on a tree with some blue lights.

10 December: What did the copyright support team bring you this year? Read our Christmas blog!
https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/copyright/2024/12/02/the-twelve-gifts-of-copyright/

• Image by Tony Slade from UCL imagestore. A top-down photograph of four students working individually at wooden desks. To the right of the image are wooden bookcases full of colourful books.

11 December: It’s UK Disability History Month (14 Nov – 20 Dec)! Take this opportunity to learn about the UCL Digital Accessibility team’s work to make research and resources more inclusive. Catch up on our profile with Ben Watson, leading the way on digital accessibility at UCL!
https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/open-access/2024/07/08/spotlight-on-ben-watson-champion-of-digital-accessibility-at-ucl/

12 December: Preprints as a way to share your initial findings to influence decision-makers: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/open-access/2020/11/06/case-study-disseminating-early-research-findings-to-influnce-decision-makers/

• Image by Tony Slade on UCL imagestore. A close-up perspective shot of a bookcase. Black books with gold writing are in the foreground and red, orange and blue volumes are further back.

13 December: Want to learn how UCL Press is committed to providing free, high-quality educational resources to support students and educators globally? Read Dhara Snowden’s blog on how #OpenAccess textbooks are reshaping the future of learning and education! https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/open-access/2024/10/23/oa-textbooks-ucl-press-perspective/

• Image by Alejandro Salinas Lopez “alperucho” on UCL imagestore. A plate of mince pies.

 14 December: This holiday season, we’re celebrating meaningful partnerships between researchers and the public with the Principles for Citizen Science at UCL. The principles ensure that projects involving citizen scientists are inclusive, ethical, and impactful – a perfect recipe for success!

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/open-science-research-support/open-science/citizen-science/principles-citizen-science

• Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore. A close up of a Christmas tree covered in yellow lights and small silver leaves. In the background can be seen a grey building, some leafless trees and a dark grey statue of a man.

15 December: An RDM film recommendation – Coded Bias (Netflix)- When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that many facial recognition technologies misclassify women and darker-skinned faces, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. https://youtu.be/_84k600_6bg?feature=shared

• Image by Alejandro Salinas Lopez “alperucho” on UCL imagestore. An arm and hand in profile holds up a mobile phone with the camera open. The phone shows the UCL portico and Christmas tree. The background is out of focus but appears to show Christmas lights.

16 December: Creative Commons licences embrace the spirit of Christmas. Learn how they work: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/open-access/2023/10/23/how-creative-commons-licences-support-open-scholarship/

• Image by James Tye on UCL imagestore. Image shows a view through a gap in books to a woman with light brown hair holding the books open and appearing to be searching the shelf.

17 December: Earlier this year, we introduced the UCL Statement on Principles of Authorship, created through community consultation and co-creation. This document is designed to promote more equitable and transparent authorship practices across UCL. Learn more: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/open-access/2024/10/25/announcing-ucl-statement-on-principles-of-authorship/

• Image by Alejandro Walter Salinas Lopez on UCL imagestore. Six people in office attire facing a bright yellow wall covered in postit notes

18 December: Have you ever questioned which university ranks highest for collaboration or open access? Explore the Leiden University Rankings, based exclusively on publication data, to find the answer. https://www.leidenranking.com/ranking/2024/list

• Image by Mat Wright on UCL imagestore. A student with long blonde hair studies in the foreground. Behind her are rows of wooden desks and book stacks in arches sit further back.

19 December: UCL Press Play: Check out the new podcast series from @uclpress.bsky.social hosted by Philip Schofield (UCL’s Bentham Project). Join UCL experts as they explore Jeremy Bentham’s legacy, covering utilitarianism, queer aesthetics, historical views on non-binary diversity, and more.  Listen now: shorturl.at/Nvqzl

• Image by KamranAydinov on Freepik. Blue headphones surrounded by christmas decorations, stockings, candles, tree lights and pine cones.

20 December: Ever hit a paywall when trying to access scholarly publications? Get the popcorn ready, and be prepared to have your eyes opened by watching this documentary ‘Paywall: the Business of Scholarship’ at https://paywallthemovie.com/ #OpenAccess #ResearchSupportAdvent

• Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore. A mixed group of people around a table working at laptops.

21 December: An RDM stocking filler – Research Data MANTRA training – up your RDM skills with this external online course: https://mantra.ed.ac.uk/

• Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore. Two large and several small icicles against a wintery sky.

22 December: UCL staff and students: join our new Copyright Literacy Community on Teams!

• Image by KamranAydinov on Freepik. Top view of hand holding a pen on spiral notebook with new year writing and drawings decoration accessories on black background.

23 December: Interested in discovering which UCL department or faculty collaborates most with yours, or identifying the most common research theme in your department? Explore the My Organisation data in InCites to uncover trends for your department or faculty. https://library-guides.ucl.ac.uk/web-of-science/incites

• Image by Alejandro Salinas Lopez “alperucho” on UCL imagestore. A Christmas tree with white lights at night in front of columns lit with colours of the rainbow.

24 December: From all the team here at the UCL Office for Open Science & Scholarship we want to thank you all for your collaboration and interaction this year, and wish you all a great break! We’ll be back after 6th January!

• UCL portico in the background lit up in white at twilight. In the foreground and to either side trees are lit in a variety of rainbow colours.

Ethics of Open Science: Privacy risks and opportunities

By Kirsty, on 22 November 2024

Guest post by Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health, building on his captivating presentation in Session 2 of the UCL Open Science Conference 2024.

Open Science brings risks and opportunities regarding privacy. Making methods, data, analyses, disagreements, and conclusions entirely publicly available demonstrates the scientific process, including its messiness and uncertainties. Showing how much we do not know and how we aim to fill in gaps excites and encourages people about science and scientific careers. It also holds scientists accountable, since any mistakes can be identified and corrected, which is always an essential part of science.

Given these advantages, Open Science offers so much to researchers and to those outside research. It helps to make science accessible to anyone, notably for application, while supporting exchange with those inspired by the work.

People’s right to privacy, as an ethical and legal mandate, must still be maintained. If a situation might worsen by Open Science not respecting privacy, irrespective of it being legal, then care is required to respect those who would want or might deserve privacy. Anonymity and confidentiality are part of research ethics precisely to achieve a balance. Irrespective, Open Science might inadvertently reveal information sources or it could be feasible to identify research participants who would prefer not to be exposed. Being aware of possible pitfalls assists in preventing them.

Disaster decisions

Some research could be seen as violating privacy. Disaster researchers seek to understand who dies in disasters, how, and why, in order to improve safety for everyone and to save lives. The work can examine death certificates and pictures of dead bodies. Publicising all this material could violate the privacy and dignity of those who perished and could augment the grief of those left behind.

Sometimes, research hones in on problematic actions for improving without blaming, whereas society more widely might seek to judge. A handful of studies has examined the blood alcohol level of drivers who died while driving through floodwater, which should never be attempted even when sober (Figure 1). In many cases, the driver was above the legal limit for blood alcohol level. Rather than embarrassing the deceased by naming-and-shaming, it would help everyone to use the data as an impetus to tackle simultaneously the separate and unacceptable decisions to drive drunk, to drive drugged, and to drive through floodwater.

Yet storytelling can be a powerful communication technique to encourage positive behavioural change. If identifying details are used, then it must involve the individuals’ or their kin’s full and informed consent. Even with this consent, it might not be necessary to provide the full details, as a more generic narrative can remain emotional and effective. Opportunities for improving disaster decisions emerge in consensual sharing, so that it avoids violating privacy—while also being careful regarding the real need to publish the specifics of any particular story.

Figure 1: Researching the dangerous behaviour of people driving through floodwater, with the number plate blurred to protect privacy (photo by Ilan Kelman).

Small sample populations

Maintaining confidentiality and anonymity for interviewees can be a struggle where interviewees have comparatively unique experiences or positions and so are easily identifiable. Governments in jurisdictions with smaller populations might employ only a handful of people in the entire country who know about a certain topic. Stating that an interviewee is “A national government worker in Eswatini specialising in international environmental treaties” or “A megacity mayor” could narrow it down to a few people or to one person.

A similar situation arises with groups comprising a small number of people from whom to select interviewees, such as “vehicle business owners in Kiruna, Sweden”, “International NGO CEOs”, or specific elites. Even with thousands of possible interviewees, for instance “university chiefs” or “Olympic athletes”, quotations from the interview or locational details might make it easy to narrow down and single out a specific interviewee.

Interviewee identification can become even simpler when basic data on interviewees, such as sex and age range, are provided, as is standard in research papers. Providing interview data in a public repository is sometimes expected, with the possibility of full transcripts, so that others can examine and use those data. The way someone expresses themselves might make them straightforward to pinpoint within a small group of potential interviewees.

Again, risks and opportunities regarding privacy focus on consent and on necessity of listing details. Everyone including any public figure has some level of a right to privacy (Figure 2). Where consent is not given to waive confidentiality or anonymity, then the research process—including reviewing and publishing academic papers—needs to accept that not all interviewee details or data can or should be shared. With consent, care is still required to ensure that identifying individuals or permitting them to be discovered really adds to the positive impacts from the research.

Figure 2: Ralph Nader, an American politician and activist, still has a right to privacy when not speaking in public (photo by Ilan Kelman).

Caution, care, and balance

With caution and care, always seeking a balance with respect to privacy, any difficulties emerging from Open Science can be prevented. Of especial importance is not sacrificing many of the immense and much-needed gains from Open Science.

Get involved: UCL’s first Citizen Science Community event on 9 December + Join our online network!

By Rafael, on 13 November 2024

Post by Sheetal Saujani, UCL Citizen Science Coordinator.

Are you passionate about citizen science, or curious about how to involve the public in research projects? Join us on Monday, 9 December, from 10:00-13:00 at UCL’s IAS Common Ground (Room G11, South Wing, UCL Wilkins Building) for a half-day event that will bring together the Citizen Science community at UCL to learn, share, and connect!

This event is a fantastic opportunity for UCL staff and students interested in Citizen Science —whether you’re already engaged in a project or just exploring the field. The event will feature inspiring lightning talks, two hands-on workshops, and a look into a standout citizen science initiative—the UCL Memory Workshop. You’ll gain insights into cutting-edge citizen science practices at UCL and beyond, as well as guidance on skills development, research funding, and collaborative projects.

Our agenda includes:

• Lightning talks: Discover citizen science units, resources, and support across UCL.
• Skills development workshop: Led by Prof. Muki Haklay from UCL ExCiteS, this session will build core competencies in citizen science.
• Interactive workshop: Develop compelling grant applications for citizen science and map out UCL expertise in the field.
• Citizen science project highlight: An introduction to the UCL Memory Workshop, our showcase citizen science initiative. 
• Speed networking session (optional): Meet others passionate about citizen science and grow your professional network.

This event is more than just a chance to learn: it’s designed to connect you with like-minded peers and foster collaborations across departments. Plus, with light refreshments provided, it’s the perfect way to spend a Monday morning in great company!

Please see the Eventbrite page for more information and book your place today!

Don’t miss out on the chance to grow, learn, and become part of a vibrant, diverse community. Register now and help shape the future of citizen science at UCL!

This event is for UCL staff and students only.

Get involved and join the Citizen Science MS Teams Community!

In October 2023, we launched the UCL Citizen Science community on MS Teams, and we want you to be part of it! Whether you’re a student, staff member, or researcher at UCL with a passion for or interest in citizen science, this informal network is your chance to connect and grow. Join a community where you can share knowledge and experiences, exchange ideas, advice, and stories that inspire. It’s more than just a platform—it’s a space for building networks, sparking creativity, and driving citizen science forward.

Become part of the online network today and help shape the future of citizen science!

Open educational resources and copyright: what do you need to consider?

By Rafael, on 7 November 2024

This is the last article of our Copyright and Open Science series by Christine Daoutis, UCL Copyright Support Officer, which explored important aspects of copyright and its implications for open research and scholarship.

Image caption. Jonathasmello, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

In this post, we conclude our Copyright and Open Science series by focusing on open education. Broadly defined, open education is “a philosophy about how people should produce, share, and build on knowledge” (source: What is open education? Opensource.com). It refers to values, practices and resources that aim to make scholarship more accessible, equitable, sustainable, transparent and collaborative.

The UNESCO definition of OERs highlights the importance of freely accessible educational materials in advancing open education practices globally. This includes the creation and reuse of OERs—materials that are either out of copyright or licensed to allow reuse. However, open education extends beyond resources to include practices such as integrating open science into teaching, sharing educational practices, and co-creating resources with learners.

OERs include a wide range of materials, such as open textbooks, open access articles, lecture handouts, images, film, slides, lecture recordings, assessment resources, software and whole courses such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS). By default, all these resources are protected by copyright. If you’re planning to create open educational resources, here’s some copyright advice.

Addressing copyright in OERs

1. Know who owns what. If you are creating or collaborating on a teaching resource, it is essential to clarify who holds the copyright. This could be you, the author; your employer, if the work was created in the course of employment; or the resource could be co-owned with others, including students or sponsors. To license a resource for reuse (for example, to make it available under a Creative Commons licence), you must own the copyright to the resource and/or agree such licensing with co-owners. ♦ Copyright ownership at UCL is addressed in the UCL IP Policy.

2. Make the resources openly available and reusable. Once you are certain that the resource is yours to license, consider making it openly available, under a licence that allows reuse. Open access repositories support the discovery and access of different types of materials, including OERs. UCL has a dedicated OER repository, which accepts materials created by its staff and students.

As for licensing: we have explained in a previous post how Creative Commons licences work; and you can read more on how CC licences support OERs on the Creative Commons wiki. Licensing under the most permissive of the licences, the Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY), supports the ‘five Rs’ of OERs: enabling others to “retain, revise, remix, reuse and redistribute the materials”. (David Wiley, Defining the “Open” in Open Content and Open Educational Resources, Improving Learning blog).

Image caption: sOER Frank, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

3. Address any third-party materials. If the resource contains materials you don’t own the copyright to (such as third-party content), you have a few options:

• Reuse works that are out of copyright (public domain) or openly licensed. These might include Creative Commons images and videos, open access articles, and OERs created by others. ♦ See UCL’s guidance on finding OERs and a reading list with links to many openly licensed resources.
• Get permission from the copyright owner. If the material is not openly licensed, you might consider seeking permission to reuse it. Be clear about how the resource containing the material will be shared (i.e., as an OER). Third-party materials included in an OER should be shared under their own copyright terms (e.g., their reuse may be more restricted than the rest of the resource) and this should be communicated when sharing.
• Rely on a copyright exception. In some cases, instead of getting permission you may decide to rely on a copyright exception, notably the quotation exception in UK copyright law. Using exceptions requires judgement. You’ll need to determine whether the use of the material is ‘fair dealing’: does the purpose justify the use? Does it affect the copyright owner’s market? Overall, is it “fair” to all parties involved? Be aware that copyright exceptions vary by country, which is important when making a resource globally available. The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Open Educational Resources explores these approaches further, putting forward a framework that could be applied internationally.

Putting the copyright advice to practice: examples from UCL’s copyright online tutorials.

Screenshot from UCL’s Copyright Essentials tutorial, which includes a photo by Michael Neel from Knoxville, TN, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

While creating UCL’s Copyright Essentials and Copyright and your Teaching, two online tutorials introducing copyright, the UCL Copyright support team drew on its own advice. Specifically:

• Copyright ownership and attribution were addressed. Copyright Essentials is an adaptation of an original resource, which was also openly licensed. Attribution to all original authors was included.
• Both tutorials are publicly available online, allowing anyone to access and complete them. They are also licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution licence, permitting others to adapt and redistribute the materials with appropriate attribution.
• Third-party materials mostly included openly licensed images and links to lawfully shared videos and documents. However, for some materials, we opted to rely on copyright exceptions, which involved a degree of interpretation and risk. This was highlighted in the tutorials, inviting learners to reflect on the use of exceptions.

It should be noted that using proprietary e-learning tools (like Articulate Rise) to develop the tutorials restricts reuse. While the shared resources can be accessed, they cannot be downloaded or edited. Authors wishing to adapt the resources have the option to recreate the materials under the licence terms or contact us for an editable copy. Ideally, these resources should be created with open-source tools, but there’s a trade-off between the advantages of user-friendly, accessible proprietary tools and these limitations.

For more advice on copyright and OERs please contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk.

Read more from the Copyright and Open Science Series:

• Developing a Copyright Literacy Community at UCL (UCL Copyright blog, 29 April 2024): An introduction to building a community around copyright literacy at UCL.
• Copyright Literacy Matters: Developing a Copyright Literacy Strategy at UCL (UCL Copyright blog, 14 October 2024): A deep dive into UCL’s strategy for copyright literacy across the institution.
• Keeping it Fair and Honest: How Copyright Exceptions Can Support Your Thesis, Publications, and Teaching (UCL Copyright blog, 22 February 2024): This post explores copyright exceptions, with practical examples for researchers and educators.
• Copyright and Open Science in the Age of AI: What Can We All Do to Ensure Free and Open Access to Knowledge for All? (Open@UCL blog, 24 October 2024): A discussion on the intersection of copyright, open science, and AI, focusing on access and equity.
• Copyright and AI Part 1: How Does Copyright Apply to AI-Generated Works? (Open@UCL blog, 21 June 2024): An exploration of the implications of AI in copyright law, particularly concerning AI-generated works.
• Copyright and AI Part 2: Perceived Challenges, Suggested Approaches, and the Role of Copyright Literacy (Open@UCL blog, 15 August 2024): A follow-up on the challenges AI presents to copyright, along with potential solutions and the role of copyright literacy in addressing these challenges.
• Text and Data Mining (TDM) and Your Research: Copyright Implications and New Website Guidance (Open@UCL blog, 13 May 2024): Insights into how copyright affects text and data mining (TDM) in research, including new guidance.
• How Understanding Copyright Can Help You as a Researcher (Open@UCL blog, 4 April 2024): A beginner’s guide to understanding copyright and its importance for academic research.

Celebrating Open Science & Scholarship: Highlights from the Second Annual Awards Ceremony!

By Rafael, on 1 November 2024

As part of our Open Access Week celebrations, we were delighted to host the second annual Open Science & Scholarship Awards presentation. This event gave us the opportunity to gather in person, congratulate the awardees, and celebrate their achievements after announcing the winners a few weeks ago.

The event began with certificate presentations, followed by a showcase of the award-winning projects.

First, Enny van Beest and Célian Bimbard, who received an honourable mention in the Open Source Software/Analytical Tools category, shared their project UnitMatch. Designed to track neurons across extensive Neuropixel Recordings, this software accelerates the analysis of large datasets, proving a valuable resource for researchers handling high volumes of neural data.

Next, winners of the Student category, Sophie Ka Ling Lau and Divya Balain, presented Diverse Voices, a website emerging from their project on the impact of COVID-19 on East London communities. Sophie and Divya, both Master’s students from UCL’s Departments of Brain Sciences and Life Sciences, respectively, created this collaborative platform to share insights gained from their research.

In the Advocating for Open Science & Community Building category, Joseph Cook shared his work with the UCL Citizen Science Academy, housed within the Institute for Global Prosperity. The Academy empowers citizens to participate in research projects, offering a structured learning programme and a certificate that recognises their contributions and learning.

The Professional Services Staff category award went to the Understanding Disability Project, presented by Eirini-Christina Saloniki and William Lammons. This project combines lived experiences with broad representation to document perspectives of people living with disabilities across North Thames, aiming for a comprehensive view that highlights the unique challenges they face.

Finally, in the Open Publishing category, Emily Gardner discussed her work with the NCL Mutation Database. This essential resource supports Batten Disease research and therapeutic development, with Emily’s work ensuring metadata accuracy and database reliability for researchers.

In the Open-Source Software category, we also recognised Alessandro Felder and the BrainGlobe Initiative, a collaborative project focused on creating open-access tools that support neuroscientific research worldwide. Although Alessandro couldn’t attend the ceremony, we were proud to recognise this initiative’s impressive accomplishments. Founded in 2020 to advance the handling and analysis of neuroimaging data, the BrainGlobe tools have been downloaded over 2.7 million times around the world!

After the presentations, the audience had a chance to network and enjoy refreshments provided by UCL Press, the event’s generous sponsor.

We would like to extend a special thank you to our other honorable mention recipients: Beth Downe, Gabrielle Pengyu Shao, Deborah Padfield, Dr. Adam Parker, Hengrui Zhang, Mathilde Ripart, Justyna Petke, Claire Waddington, and Fan Cheng. Representing a range of departments, teams, and centres across UCL – from the Slade School of Fine Art to the Dementia Research Centre – we were thrilled to celebrate your work and dedication to advancing open science across disciplines. Thank you for being part of this event!

Our heartfelt thanks go to UCL Press for their support, the Office for Open Science & Scholarship team for organising the awards, and Sandy Schumann and Jessie Baldwin, UKRN local network leads, for managing the submission and peer review process. Special thanks go to Paul Ayris, Head of the UCL Office for Open Science & Scholarship, and David Shanks, UCL’s Institutional Lead for Reproducibility, for their continued support of these awards.

Watch this space for the next Open Science and Scholarship Awards!