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Open science and public trust in science: Results from two studies
[journal article]
Abstract In two studies, we examined whether open science practices, such as making materials, data, and code of a study openly accessible, positively affect public trust in science. Furthermore, we investigated whether the potential trust-damaging effects of research being funded privately (e.g. by a commer... view more
In two studies, we examined whether open science practices, such as making materials, data, and code of a study openly accessible, positively affect public trust in science. Furthermore, we investigated whether the potential trust-damaging effects of research being funded privately (e.g. by a commercial enterprise) may be buffered by such practices. After preregistering six hypotheses, we conducted a survey study (Study 1; N = 504) and an experimental study (Study 2; N = 588) in two German general population samples. In both studies, we found evidence for the positive effects of open science practices on trust, though it should be noted that in Study 2, results were more inconsistent. We did not however find evidence for the aforementioned buffering effect. We conclude that while open science practices may contribute to increasing trust in science, the importance of making use of open science practices visible should not be underestimated.... view less
Keywords
science; transparency; confidence
Classification
Sociology of Science, Sociology of Technology, Research on Science and Technology
Free Keywords
epistemic trust; experimental study; open science practices; science communication; survey study; trust in science
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 1046-1062
Journal
Public Understanding of Science, 31 (2022) 8
ISSN
1361-6609
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed