ZMay61 Reflection Week 2
The discussion this week on open access and open data sources was very informative in multiple ways. This information relayed through the paper and discussion was eye opening in how others think about relaying research and findings to curious people. While publishing is newer to most of us, it’s imperative to express our knowledge when doing so. There are however obstacles when publishing open access such as money and other collaborative minds on the projects. One major detail that was discussed are the consideration of other parties on research. This brought up some questions regarding journal specificity, contributions, impact, and consensus’. It is my opinion that open access and open-source data is an important part of the science (and other) communities for that reason: community. The purpose is to express and distribute knowledge to the broader audiences, anyone that wants it, and to provide insight, feedback, and other questions for more research. It is difficult however to achieve this where these open access journals require additional funding that may be hard to get. There is also the burden, if not open access, how to acquire that information. Most universities provide access to paid journals, this however limits that knowledge to the general public. It creates barriers to those how are not willing to subscribe to ‘prestigious’ journals. That or specific journals of interests by researchers. As an unknown, I am unaware of the likely impact factor that paid journals are of a higher caliber then those of free information. Broader impacts and implications of research should be a big reason why that said research is conducted. Even in preprint or prior to publication and peer review, and the fear of losing or missing out on your ‘time to shine’ moment, despite that mentality being years behind us. That information should be allowed out to continue asking questions and to exhibit awe and wonder, including critics, so that the community can grow together and become more informed.