The Oxford Berlin Summer School on Open Research 2021 will be conducted in hybrid (or online) format on 20.-23. September

Background
Transparency and reproducibility of research methods and results are important hallmarks of high quality in all areas, from biomedical to social and physical sciences. In the last few years, many novel approaches, tools, and technologies have emerged that allow for a comprehensive representation of the research process that goes far beyond descriptions of research methods and results as found in traditional journal articles. Open research practices have the potential to revolutionise the way research methods and results are communicated, and to facilitate research collaborations and sharing of research outputs in an unprecedented manner. However, adopting these practices requires knowledge and skills that are not normally taught in undergraduate or graduate degrees. To close this gap, we offer a four-day summer school to guide early career researchers (PhD students and postdocs) towards an open, transparent, and reproducible research workflow. These topics will be embedded in a more general curriculum on research ethics and meta-research.

Program
The four-day summer school will consist of a series of lectures that cover the following topics:

• Biases in research
• Reproducibility
• Best practices for sharing publications, data, and code
• Meta-research
• Ethical conduct of research

The lectures will be complemented by a series of interactive workshops, which participants can choose from based on their needs (e.g. introduction to R and Python, reproducible workflows, version control in Git and Github, data management, and preregistration).

Application
Interested participants should apply via our registration page (stored on the Berlin Institute of Health Website). During the registration, they will be asked to briefly state their motivation (300 words) and a description of a potential project that is suitable to apply the knowledge from the summer school. The letter of motivation should contain a brief statement about how the applicant has applied or intends to apply open research practices in their current work, if any other courses were attended, and what particular challenges were encountered in their work, which would be addressed by the summer school. The project outline should give a brief overview of future or recently started research projects, in which participants would like to apply open/ reproducible research practices. Applicants with projects in any area of empirical research are encouraged to apply. If more applications are received than can be accommodated, the organising committee will select participants on the basis of the project and experience that they describe. We will favor applicants who are novices but who have already identified a need for applying the skills acquired. Following acceptance, we require a signed form from the supervisor/PI to indicate that they will support the use of transparent and reproducible practices in the applicant’s research project. Registration will close on 31 July.

Costs
The course is free to attend.

Venue
If the situation allows, the summer school will be conducted in a hybrid format, that is with local in person meetings organised at Oxford and in Berlin, and with the possibility to attend online. If lockdowns are in place, the summer school will run entirely online.

Organisers
The summer school is organised by the BIH QUEST Center for Transforming Biomedical Research, Berlin Institute of Health and Reproducible Research Oxford, University of Oxford.

Dates
20.-23. September

Additional Funding
“Funded from the Berlin University Alliance as part of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and Countries”

Contact
Please send questions to: malika.ihle@anthro.ox.ac.uk