Open Science for Wikimedians: Lessons learned and potential next steps

Fernando Archuby, Julian Cueto,

Melissa Hagemann, Alice Kibombo & Eric Luth

Who we are…

• Alice: Wikimedian
• Eric: Wikimedia Sverige
• Fernando & Julian: Wikimedistas de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata
• Melissa: BOAI Org

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Overview

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• Background: Eric & Melissa
• Survey results: Julian & Eric
• Examples of OS/Wikimedia collaborations in practice: Alice, Fernando & Julian
• Feedback on survey & discussion: all

Background

The Open Science & Wikimedia communities share the common goal of developing high quality openly available content, yet collaborations between the movements have been limited.

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Wikimania Katowice 2024

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• All UNESCO member states agreed on a OS recommendation in 2021 – meaning all these member states must implement OS activities in their respective countries.
• More and more countries are adopting national open science guidelines
• The recommendation is a great foundation for national public policy work and advocating towards universities

Open Science

• Open access to scientific publications
• Open access to research data (FAIR principles)
• Open research methods (i.e. documentation of research methods, open software, open source)
• Open educational resources (OER)
• Citizen science
• Infrastructures to support open science��

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Commonly included areas

• Open science can:
• Give volunteers access to more articles and research
• Involve Wikimedians in research processes
• Make Wikidata a node for research projects or reuse of research data
• Increase public trust and understanding of research processes, in line with Wikimedia vision of making knowledge accessible

Why Wikimedia engagement?

• Strict copyright rules always a barrier, both for us and researchers
• Wikimedia not always seen as a research ally – but can be!
• Universities are interested but governments might down-prioritize among all other things to do …

Challenges to overcome

Open Access to scientific publications

• Defined by BOAI in 2002
• Two complementary strategies
• OA journals
• Institutional/subject-based repositories
• Policy Advocate for public access to publicly-funded research

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20 years on…

• Half of all research articles are OA to read
• Open Access Journals: 21,700
• Open Access Repositories: 5,600
• University OA Policies: 907
• National governments, foundations, UNESCO: OA policies
• COVID-19: 79% of journals articles were OA

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Why Wikimedia engagement?

• Provide Wikimedians access to peer-reviewed journal articles
• Potential synergies through collaboration with like-minded access to knowledge movement
• Facilitate connections between OA and Wikimedia communities at the regional/national levels
• OA Signalling Project
• Advocate for equitable OA

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Challenges

• New barriers created to publish = Article Processing Charges (APCs) & Read and Publish Agreements
• Reform needed of research assessment system

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• Map open science-related efforts across Wikimedia affiliates
• Initial mapping intended to help build stronger connections among affiliates and lay the groundwork for increased capacity-building, knowledge sharing and coordination around open science
• Conducted in Spring 2025 (English & Spanish)

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Survey

• Summary
• Assess interest in forming an Open Science Network among Wikimedia Affiliates.
• 36 affiliates responded (chapters, UG, thematic networks) ≈ 20% of the Movement.

Survey results

Strong interest

Interest in being informed of or engaged in open-science activities within the Movement

Almost half (45%) of the respondents stated that they already engage in open science activities in one way or another, suggesting a strong foundation to build upon for further collaboration.

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90%

50%

Key findings

More activities than envisioned already exist

• Advocacy for better legislation and policies
• Building networks and collaborating, e.g. with libraries, for institutional change
• Collaborating with researchers and research institutions to add and improve on Wikimedia platforms
• Developing and sharing open educational resources
• Conducting research and publishing in open-access journals

Areas of work in affiliates

• Promoting citizen science activities
• Organizing Wiki campaigns related to science
• Sharing research on the Wikimedia platforms, in collaboration with partners and e.g. intergovernmental organizations
• Organizing conferences related to science

Areas of work in affiliates

• Exploring funding opportunities for open science work
• International collaboration to lower barriers for engaging in open science initiatives
• Communicating and sharing the word about open science projects and activities in affiliates and other parts of the movement
• Finding ways to make Wikimedia content more aligned with the FAIR principles

Proposed areas of collaboration in the survey

• WikiUNLP and its Network of Wikimedians in Open Science (RedWCA): Researchers, university professors, and students from South America (mainly Argentina).
• Improvement of es.wiki with scientific content from the Global South in the frame of the open science.
• Focus on recruitment of colleagues.

Wikimedistas de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata

• Different activities with Wikimedia projects
• Training cycles in editing on Wikimedia for researchers and students.
• Public communication of science focusing on tackling geopolitical gaps in scientific content.
• Working with communities in conservation projects
• Open databases and research.
• Opening and safeguarding collections and audiovisual media.

Milestones:

• Incorporation of new voices into Wikimedia.
• Collaborative communication of science.
• Research using Wikidata.
• Wikimedia as a part of Open Science framework.
• Consolidation of a network of researchers.
• Partnerships with university libraries.

• AfLIA & IWIPALE (IWIPALE – Integrating Wikimedia Projects into African Library Ecosystems) + Wikimedia Deutschland
• AfLIA is a beneficiary of the Knowledge Equity Fund grant
• IWIPALE aims to create semantic authority control files for resources in libraries through Wikibase for linking to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects
• Pilot with the National Library of Nigeria which can then be extended/replicated across national libraries on the continent

Fernando Archuby

Let’s collaborate!

Julian

Cueto

jjcueto@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar

Melissa Hagemann

mh@budapestopenaccessinitiative.org

Alice

Kibombo

Wikibrarian

alicekibombo@gmail.com

Eric

Luth

WMSE�eric.luth@wikimedia.se

Q&A