Open Science - opportunity or challenge?

8:45-9:00: Welcome

• Prof Dr Joachim Reidl, Vice-Rector for Research
• Pamela Stückler, Head of the University Library
• Elisabeth Stadler, Publication Services at Graz University Library
• Dr Helmut W. Klug, Research Data Management at Graz University Library

Rethinking research assessment: beyond the H-index and impact factors

Anne Gärtner (FU Berlin)

The need for a reform of research assessment is undisputed. Initiatives such as the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) are developing alternative approaches that focus on valid, transparent criteria and emphasise quality rather than quantity. Nevertheless, simple quantitative indicators often continue to dominate appointment procedures. The presentation introduces the Research Quality Evaluation (RESQUE) framework, which evaluates research quality based on methodological rigour, transparency, reproducibility and replicability. An online tool for self-assessment of scientific work will also be presented. The aim is to strengthen the importance of research quality in academic careers - within and outside psychology.

The project was honoured with the Einstein Foundation Early Career Award for Promoting Quality in Research.

Prof Dr Anne Gärtner is a psychologist and neuroscientist specialising in individual differences in emotion processing and their neurobiological foundations. She is currently a visiting professor of personality psychology at the Free University of Berlin. Her research combines psychophysiological and neuroscientific methods to investigate the biological basis of cognitive emotion regulation. A particular focus is on the reproducibility of psychological research, which is why she is actively involved in the open science movement - including as a co-founder of the IGOR initiative in the DGPs. In 2023, she was honoured with the Einstein Foundation Early Career Award for Promoting Quality in Research for her services to research quality. With the RESQUE framework, she is currently developing new evaluation criteria for scientific achievements that prioritise quality over quantity. 

10:00-10:20: Break

New approaches to research assessments at the University of Graz: What role does Open Science play?

Katrin Brugger (University of Graz, LQM)

In the wake of international movements such as CoARA, DORA or the European Competence Framework for Researchers and an in-depth examination of the topic of performance assessment and presentation here at the University since 2009, the University of Graz is breaking new ground in research assessment. In addition to quantitative factors, metrics and indicators, which suggest a superficial comparability, qualitative dimensions are to be added in order to represent the broad set of competences, achievements and burdens.

The overall endeavour, known as the "Activity Framework" (AF), draws on existing data sources at the University of Graz and will gradually add supplementary aspects. Implementation according to career levels and disciplines is intended to cover the subject-specific requirements in a variety of ways and create scope to organise the freedom of research and teaching.

With the AF, the University of Graz has created a framework that takes a multi-perspective approach. On the one hand, performance and workload are made visible, quantity is supplemented with narratives and a cultural change is also initiated, as the AF can ultimately also be a supplement to the employment contract in order to harmonise goals and achievements. By applying the AF to calls for applications and appointments, in which skills, narratives and ideas are also queried in addition to the historical, quantitative factors, a diverse, excellent and forward-looking science can emerge from a rather homogeneous cohort.

The role of open science practices is integrated from many sides in this process of realisation. Open Access publications can be analysed quantitatively. OS is an approach that is part of a complex, meta-level discussion on a change of mindset. This change in perception is supported by personal descriptions and emphasised in the context of the AF.

MMag^a Katrin Brugger is a financial economist with a degree in international management. After setting up an intern. After setting up an international raw materials network at the Montanuni Leoben, she moved to the University of Graz as head of the national Climate Change Centre network. Since 08/2024 she is responsible for the Activity Frameworks at the University of Graz.

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Teaching Open Science at the Department of Psychology

Katja Corcoran / Silvia Kober (University of Graz, Department of Psychology)

As an empirical discipline, psychology strives to produce robust and reproducible results as the base of cumulative knowledge. Since the replication crises in 2011, open science has become an important aspect of rigorous research methods. At the Department of Psychology, we strive to integrate the topic of open science and open science practices not only into research, but also into teaching. Thereby, we address all levels (BA, MA, Ph.D.) and try to establish an open science routine early on. The activities are part of empirical courses at Bachelor level and practical courses at Master level, and also contains the promotion of pre-registration of Master theses, providing guidelines on open science practices for doctoral students or awarding best practice examples at doctoral level. We will give examples of the integration of open science in theory and practice and talk about the acceptance, application, and experienced challenges of open science among lecturers in the department.

Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Psych. Dr.phil. Katja Corcoran is head of the section Social Psychology at the Department of Psychology. She works on basic research topics like goal pursuit, but she also participates in interdisciplinary consortiums to address applied topics concerning sustainable behaviour and the clean energy transition.
PD Mag. Dr. Silvia Kober is a Senior Scientist at the Department of Psychology and works in the section Neuropsychology & Neuroimaging. She has been Deputy Head of the Doctoral School of Psychology since 2024. She works on the development and evaluation of neuro-technologies for rehabilitation and training.

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A life science research perspective on the accelerating publishing crisis

Ulrich Stelzl (University of Graz, Pharmaceutical Chemistry)

Publications in international peer-reviewed journals are the basis for the dissemination of high-quality scientific work and the key factor for evaluating academic research performance. A fair and open publishing process, making the research and all the underlying data available to everyone is fundamental to a society that builds on knowledge and open science. Over the last 30 years or so, a number of changes to the publication system have contributed to developments that have shaken the fundamental values of the scientific publication system and, in many cases, are incompatible with good scientific practice or Open Science goals. We recognise that the scientific publication system is in a massive upheaval.

From the perspective of a life science researcher, I will briefly discuss these trajectories touching on topics such as decision boards, editorial work, peer review, the vetting process, the reputation economy, dissemination models, open access models, actual costs, publishers, institutional publishing agreements and LLM-AI-based tools in publishing. I may want to conclude that most developments originated from ideas intended to advance science in its best possible way, however were hijacked by commercial as well as research governing interest. Anyone who acknowledges an effective scientific process and who uses public funding for research or dissemination of research should be interested in an efficient value chain that results in OA publications that exceed the limited added value of a publisher's brand and an online platform.

Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.rer.nat. Ulrich Stelzl uses combined experimental and computational methods with the aim to understand the dynamics of molecular interaction networks underlying cellular processes related to human disease. Ulrich Stelzl studied at the TU Vienna and worked in several places including the ETH Zurich, MSKCC New York, the MDC and at the MPI-MG in Berlin. Since late 2015, he is professor at the department for Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the U Graz.

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11:20-11:40: Break

Open Science in special educational research

Maximilian Barth (University of Graz, Institute for Educational Research and Teacher Education); Theresa M. Steiner (University of Münster), Kristina Raich (University of Graz, Institute for Educational Research and Teacher Education) & Timo Lüke (Univers

One of the aims of Open Science is to improve the quality of research. Accordingly, it is considered desirable and also demanded to implement open science practices. In this study, we investigate how these demands are taken up in special educational research practice. Specifically, we focus on the experiences, attitudes, perceived norms and intentions of researchers in special needs education with regard to three Open Science practices (preprint, open data, preregistration). We also want to find out what barriers researchers face when implementing the practices. Based on an international study by Fleming et al. (2024), we surveyed 111 researchers in special education from Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland using a shortened version of the Open Scholarship Survey (Beaudry et al., 2023). The results show that the practices are mostly known, but rarely used. The most common reason for infrequent use is unfamiliarity with the procedure. The majority of researchers are in favour of all three practices. Only between 3 and 8 % reject them. Around half of those surveyed plan to implement open science practices in the next two years. We also asked the scientists how they would like to be informed about Open Science. Workshops at their own institution or at conferences and scientific articles were mentioned most frequently.

Maximilian Barth, BA MSc studied educational science and is a research assistant at the Institute for Educational Research and Pedagogical Education at the University of Graz. His research focuses on the effectiveness of reading promotion for people with intellectual disabilities.

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From Transparency to Trust: Can Reporting Open Science Practices Improve Science Communication?

Gabriela Hoffer / Živa Korda (University of Graz, Department of Psychology)

Public trust in science is crucial for addressing global challenges like the climate crisis. Although trust in science is generally high, it varies widely across populations and countries; Austria, for instance, recording rather low trust levels. Some argue that researchers can boost public trust in their findings by adhering to open science (OS) practices, such as sharing data and materials transparently. This would have important implications for science communication.

This talk overviews existing empirical research on whether OS practices indeed foster trust. Overall, members of the general public report to trust research applying OS practices more. Yet, it remains unclear whether this translates to stronger trust in individual studies applying OS. We present findings from two recent large-scale studies in Austria on the effectiveness of OS practices in increasing public trust.

In Study 1, 564 people read hypothetical scenarios about scientific studies. When participants read that "a researcher X conducted a study with an interesting finding, which he then publishes", they rated the researcher as moderately competent and ethical and the findings as neither correct nor incorrect. However, when informed that researcher X also engaged in OS practices (sharing data and materials), participants rated the researcher as more competent and ethical and the findings as more correct.

Study 2 moved from hypothetical scenarios to summaries of real-world scientific findings, exploring whether mentioning OS practices affects the perceived credibility of findings and researcher trustworthiness. In a sample of 300 people, we tested whether this effect depends on prior exposure to OS information. Participants read two study summaries (one with OS practices mentioned, one without) and rated credibility and trustworthiness. The findings offer insights into how OS practices influence public perceptions.

Dr rer.nat. Gabriela Hofer, BSc MSc is a postdoctoral researcher in personality psychology at the University of Graz. She discovered her passion for open science at the end of her Master's degree and is a founding member of the Graz Open Science Initiative (GOSI).
Dr. rer.nat. Živa Korda is a researcher at the Department of Psychology studying eye movements across cognitive processes. Introduced to open science during her studies, she is now an active GOSI member, enthusiastic about improving research output through employing open science principles.

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Advancing Open Science in International, Interdisciplinary Research Projects

Unmil Karadkar (University of Graz, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Aging and Care)

Due to varying attitudes across national and disciplinary boundaries, advocating for open science in international, interdisciplinary settings is challenging but also has the potential to make a long-term impact and investigate solutions that can be implemented at a global scale.
In my role as the Data Governance Lead on Aging in Data (AiD), a partnership project funded by the Social Science and Humanities Council of Canada, I work with 30+ researchers from 10+ countries including Canada, USA, Israel, and European nations. Researcher backgrounds include humanities, social sciences, technology, and biology. These differences enable me to learn about diverse perspectives regarding open science across disciplinary, geographic, and cultural boundaries.

In order to develop a shared understanding around open science activities, the AiD project has developed a three-pronged strategy: leadership, awareness, and training. Firstly, by creating a leadership position on the governance board of the project, the team has shown a seriousness towards open science. We have co-developed awareness of these activities through presentations to the governing board, at periodic meetings, as well as opportunistically, within my research activities. Finally, I have developed an online workshop series titled "What Would Data Do?", which focuses on topics in data and open science including data scholarship, data management plans, and data publication.

Working with co-researchers at these two levels has the benefit of sharing open science practices as a researcher and trusted colleague rather than as an external person who approaches them only for this issue. This closeness, embeddedness, is an asset, especially in groups that are new to open science or are averse to open scholarship for fear of their work being "poached". I will discuss the strategy behind this approach and the consensus-building process that is key to the success of a broader acceptance of open science initiatives.

As a Scientist at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Aging & Care at the University of Graz, Unmil Karadkar, PhD studies the intersection of aging and technology. He leads data governance activities for Aging in Data, a multinational collaborative project, and is engaged in Open Science-related initiatives in Austria. He holds a PhD in Computer Science.

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12:40-13:40: Lunch

Streamlining Data-Driven Collaborative Tools and Reproducible Techniques

Thomas Gölles (University of Graz, Institute for Geography and Spatial Research)

Reproducibility and collaboration are cornerstones of rigorous scientific research, yet many researchers face persistent challenges, including disorganised data management, irreproducible results, and difficulties in replicating complex computational workflows. These challenges are particularly pronounced in data-driven fields where analysis pipelines and outputs must be transparent and reliable. To address these needs, I developed a versatile project template based on Cookiecutter, tailored for researchers analysing data with Python and preparing publications, posters, or presentations in LaTeX or Markdown. This framework integrates reproducibility and scalability by leveraging modern tools such as Docker, VS Code, and GitHub to create platform-independent workflows and version-controlled environments. It simplifies collaboration by standardising folder structures, automating project setup, and providing support for scalable data management strategies. By embedding principles of open science and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data practices, the template ensures that datasets, code, and analyses remain accessible, interpretable, and reusable across the research lifecycle. The presentation will explore the design philosophy behind the template, its implementation, and practical use cases, from small-scale exploratory studies to large, multi-institutional projects. Attendees will gain actionable insights into modernising their research workflows, overcoming common pitfalls, and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration in their fields.

Mag. rer.nat Thomas Gölles, PhD current research is on avalanches and how to detect them in satellite remote sensing and with lidar data. While, his PhD was in glaciology were he developed numerical models of the Greenland ice sheet and studied black carbon and albedo. Overall he is interested in data analytics and increasing research quality by automating the mundane tasks wherever possible. For this he likes to dive deep into interesting technology such as docker, streamlit, dask, FastAPI and of course machine learning.

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Vaccines against Biased Research: Preregistration and Registered Report

Hilmar Brohmer (University of Graz, Department of Psychology)

In this talk, I will address the use of study preregistration, i.e., a time-stamped research plan which describes initial hypotheses, sample sizes and analyses strategies before seeing the data. Preregistering an empirical study before data collection can safeguard a researcher later from too flexible analyses decisions and, potentially, a biased overinterpretation of fluke findings - just like vaccines can be protective against infections. The most effective form of a preregistration is the one that comes with a peer-review before data collection: a so-called registered report. The main promise of such a registered-report study is that after the initial submission, reviewers focus on the theory and the methods in their critique and make valuable comments to a planned study. Later on, they will only check, if the researchers followed their preregistered plan independently of the findings. As a registered report can be an elaborate and time-consuming endeavour, beginners may want to start with an easy-to-use standard preregistration, which functions as a guide for the researchers' analyses. In the first part of my talk, I will show that both registered reports and preregistrations are profoundly under-appreciated in the academic system in Austria, particularly among earl-career researchers. I will outline some suggestions about how an implementation can be achieved in the future. In the second part, I will demonstrate how to get started with a standard preregistration using the Open Science Framework repository: only a few simple steps are required for a researcher to create a project page, fill out a preregistration form, and submit it to the repository. This brief demonstration may enable interested scientist to quickly and effectively implement preregistration in their research workflow, safeguarding them against biases in result interpretation.

After studying Social and Behavioural Sciences at several European universities, Dr. rer.nat. Hilmar Brohmer, MSc completed his PhD in Psychology at the University of Graz between 2016 and 2020. In his postdoctoral research, he is interested in the public trust in science, meta science, and environmental psychology.

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Open Science in Quantitative Bioimaging - an Oxymoron?

Heimo Wolinsk (University of Graz, Institute of Molecular Biosciences)

Quantitative bioimaging has transformed the life sciences by enabling the precise visualisation and measurement of cellular structures and processes, even at the molecular scale, driving critical advancements in biology, medicine, and drug discovery. Open science aims at making research fully transparent and accessible, promoting reproducibility and collaboration. It advocates for sharing not only results but also data, software, and methodologies. However, recent studies reveal a concerning lack of essential open science criteria, such as fundamental quality control and reproducibility standards, within bioimaging methods and technologies in the life sciences. Using practical examples from current in-house and external research projects, this talk will critically discuss how intellectual property, competition, career pressures and commercial user infrastructure challenge the realisation of open science in the life science community. Furthermore, suggestions for achieving open science in this field are being debated.

Heimo Wolinski PhD is the scientific head of the Optical Imaging Resource at the IMB-Graz, harbouring state-of-the art high-end optical imaging systems for various applications in the life sciences and beyond. His research is focused on understanding the function of BSLC2/seipin, a protein whose malfunction leads to lipodystrophy in humans, a condition characterised by an almost complete absence of fat tissue. In recent years, he has also focused on developing novel methods for the spatiotemporal analysis of organelle and protein subpopulations, as well as image processing routines for the precise quantitative analysis of subcellular structures in yeast cell populations and beyond. His overall research goal is to uncover how organelles, such as lipid droplets, communicate with other cellular compartments and how these interactions can trigger lipid-related diseases. His studies primarily utilise genetically modified yeast and advanced optical imaging techniques

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14:40-15:00: Break

Advancing Open Science in MRI Research: Comprehensive Data Collection and Distribution at the MRI Lab Graz

Karl Koschutnig, Thomas Zussner, Alexandra Lipfert (University of Graz, Institute of Psychology)

The MRI Lab Graz is committed to advancing Open Science through a holistic approach to data collection, analysis, and distribution in MRI research. Central to our methodology is adopting the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) for storing data, which provides a standardised framework enhancing data organisation, facilitating sharing, and improving reproducibility across studies. To address privacy concerns in sharing neuroimaging data, we utilise defacing tools and other anonymisation techniques to remove identifiable features while preserving data integrity. Our analytical processes leverage containerisation technologies like Docker. Encapsulating computational environments within containers ensures that analyses are reproducible and can be easily shared or deployed across different systems. This simplifies dependency management and mitigates software version issues. DataLad, built upon Git, is our version control system for data and analyses. It allows us to maintain a comprehensive history of all modifications, fostering transparency and collaboration. Researchers can track changes, revert to previous states, and understand the evolution of data processing pipelines. Recognising the increasing computational demands of MRI data analysis, we plan to integrate high-performance computing (HPC) clusters into our infrastructure. By utilising DataLad and BIDS to ensure standardised data structures, we can more easily clone datasets to HPC systems. Our implementation exemplifies how integrating standardised data formats, robust anonymisation methods, reproducible computational environments, and meticulous version control collectively promotes Open Science. By sharing our approach and experiences, we aim to inspire other laboratories to adopt similar practices, enhancing collaboration and accelerating scientific discovery in MRI research.

Dr Karl Koschutnig is a neuropsychologist and the Head of the MRI Lab Graz. Formerly at LKH Graz's clinical department of neuroradiology, he specialises in functional and structural MRI processing and diffusion tensor imaging. With 58 publications, an h-index of 28, and over 3,000 citations, he is an expert in neuroimaging.

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Setting up and running an OER repository: experiences, lessons learnt and challenges

Michael Kopp, Nadine Linschinger, Michael Raunig (University of Graz, Centre for Digital Teaching and Learning)

The University of Graz has been operating its own repository for Open Educational Resources (OER) since 2023 with its "OER Portal". The OER portal is a key component of the university's OER policy and a central factor in the university becoming the first Austrian university to become a "Certified OER Higher Education Institution".

A repository as a centralised service for university members is essential for making OER more attractive. As there are no national repositories available in Austria to date, universities have to set up their own technical infrastructure. This article presents the path taken by the University of Graz to date with regard to infrastructure, support, application and quality assurance and discusses lessons learnt and challenges. The case study is intended to show how an individual solution can be designed according to the specific framework conditions at a university.

The OER portal was set up in 2020 as part of a project funded by the Austrian Ministry of Science. It aims to provide all university staff with a system that is easy to use, technically stable, based on current standards and enables accurate searching and at least basic quality control. In order to make the repository as attractive as possible, OER training courses, support programmes for OER creation and advertising measures were planned from the outset. The integration of the repository into the university-wide IT infrastructure is also a key factor for its sustainable use.

During development, it quickly became apparent that this requirement was associated with numerous challenges, such as selecting the system, quality assurance and community building. The article provides an insight into how these challenges were dealt with and concludes with an outlook on future measures as part of the university's open education strategy.

Mag. Dr.phil. Michael Kopp is Head of the Centre for Digital Teaching and Learning at the University of Graz. His current focus is on artificial intelligence, open educational resources and the integration of competency models in digital learning environments.

Nadine Linschinger, BA. MEd BEd is Open Education Manager at the Centre for Digital Teaching and Learning at the University of Graz and is responsible for the coordination of OER projects, the OER strategy and community building at the University of Graz.

Mag. Dr.phil. Michael Raunig works at the Centre for Digital Teaching and Learning at the University of Graz. His work focuses on the analysis of current educational and knowledge technologies and the conception and implementation of further education formats and development projects.

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Share data - find data - use data: Open Science and the Austrian Social Science Data Archive (AUSSDA) at the University of Graz

Otto Bodi-Fernandez (University of Graz, Institute of Sociology)

Archiving and sharing research data is currently becoming increasingly important. Data sharing increases the efficiency of research activities, leads to greater sustainability of invested funding and contributes to greater transparency and traceability of research results. Both funding organisations and specialist journals are increasingly calling for research data to be archived and made freely accessible for reuse. In the social sciences in particular, survey data is a valuable resource with a high potential for re-use to answer new research questions.

AUSSDA - The Austrian Social Science Data Archive provides the social science community in Austria with a certified data infrastructure that provides researchers with support services, in particular data archiving and assistance with data re-use. The principle is to make data available as openly as possible. However, ethical and data protection aspects must also be taken into account in the social sciences, which can restrict open access.

The article provides an overview of the services of the data archive and uses practical examples to highlight AUSSDA's open science strategy, which is intended to help reconcile data sharing and data protection. Both the possibilities and the limits of open data access are highlighted.

Mag.phil. Dr.rer.soc.oec. Otto Bodi-Fernandez works at the Center for Social Research as AUSSDA 's Graz contact point. He specialises in research data management and teaches empirical methods at the Department of Sociology. His research interests are childhood and youth research as well as educational inequality.

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16:00-16:20: Break

Fostering Open Science: Insights from two Bottom-Up Initiatives at the University of Graz

Hildrun Walter (University of Graz, Centre for Society, Science and Communication), Sarah von Götz, Hilmar Brohmer (University of Graz, Department of Psychology)

The definition of open science in the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (2021) comprises many different movements and practices, which underline the synergies and interactions that may come to play between different areas. However, it also reveals the difficulties in developing a common understanding between stakeholders and in implementing open science practices.

In its Openness Position Paper published in 2022, the Arqus European University Alliance defined a common framework for its understanding of open science and strategic approaches to support the implementation at partner universities. We will share insights from the bottom-up initiative Open Science Ambassador Network that evolved from the task force in 2023. The network is dedicated to promote Open Science as a cross-cutting topic for the research dimension in Arqus, share best practices in their specific scientific disciplines and utilizing synergies between member universities.

Beside this European network, the University of Graz also hosts the Graz Open Science Initiative (GOSI). GOSI has been active since 2018 and aims to create awareness of Open-Science related topics among all universities in Graz. We will share insights from regular GOSI events, such as journal clubs to discuss papers on Open Science (the "ReproducibiliTea") or larger Open Science events (e.g., the Open Science Day at the Department of Psychology; discussion round on Open Science and Artificial Intelligence).

Dipl.-Ing. Dr Hildrun Walter is a scientist for science communication at the University of Graz dedicated to the evaluation of communication programmes. She is interested in how open science practices and participatory approaches in research can influence the societal perception of science.

Sarah von Götz, BSc MSc. is a doctoral student at the Cognitive Science Section of the Department of Psychology and is investigating the perceived credibility of online health information. She joined the Graz Open Science Initiative in 2024.

Dr.rer.nat. Hilmar Brohmer, MSc, see above.

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Making history visible: Videos on participatory research on the "Lebensborn" home Wienerwald, 1938-1945

Nadjeschda Stoffers (University of Graz, Institute of History; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on the Consequences of War)

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