Open science is a set of principles and practices that aims to make research from all fields accessible to everyone for the benefit of researchers and society as a whole. Doing Open Social Science: A Guide for Researchers is the first comprehensive book setting out the principles and practices of open research, tailored specifically for those in the social science disciplines, at every career stage, offering practical advice on how to make research more transparent, trustworthy and reusable.
Divided into four parts, the book explores the core principles and philosophy of open social science. Part II addresses how to improve the reproducibility of research through open approaches, including chapters on the principles and tools of documenting research as you go and on open data practices. Part III focuses on open practices within the qualitative social sciences. Chapters examine interview-based research, case studies and fieldwork, systematic documentation analysis, archival data and the role of openness in citizen (social) science. Part IV addresses shifting research cultures, with chapters on strategies for presenting research clearly and accessibly to maximise reach and impact and on open access publishing. The book ends with a discussion of the future of open social science. Ultimately, it argues, openness as a wider cultural change can renew the social sciences and the core foundations for academic progress in more dynamic and sustainable ways.
This is an essential guide for anyone working in the social sciences, from doctoral candidates and early career researchers to experienced academics and practitioners, who wants to engage more effectively with open research.
About the Author :
Patrick Dunleavy is Emeritus Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He worked in the Department of Government at LSE from 1979 to 2020, and before that at the Open University and Nuffield College, Oxford. He is also Emeritus Professor of Government at the University of Canberra, where he was Centenary Professor 2015-21. A Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences, he also served as Founding Editor in Chief at LSE Press from 2020-2023. He was Director of the UK Democratic Audit from 2013-2020 and co-led the Australian Democratic Audit from 2020 to 2024. His recent books include Australia's Evolving Democracy: A New Democratic Audit (open access from LSE Press, 2024, co-edited with Mark Evans and John Phillimore); Maximizing the Impacts of Academic Research, (2021, Palgrave, now Bloomsbury Press, co-authored with Jane Tinkler); and The UK's Changing Democracy: A New Democratic Audit (open access from LSE Press, 2018, co-edited with Alice Park and Rosamund Taylor). Timothy Monteath has been Assistant Professor in Data Visualization in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methods at the University of Warwick since 2023. Previously, he was Associate Lecturer in Human Geography and Data Visualisation at University College, London; CIVICA Open Social Science Researcher at the LSE; and a post-doc Research Associate in Finance and Geography at the University of Oxford. His PhD in Sociology from the LSE focused on the Information Infrastructure of Land Registration in England. He is a co-author (with others) of Atlas of Finance: Mapping the Global Story of Money, Yale University Press, 2024.
Review :
"This handbook will undoubtedly be transformative amidst a looming move towards open research across disciplines. It will be of great value to postgraduate students, early career researchers, and researchers outside academia grappling with open research practices. Also, for theorists looking to better comprehend its underpinnings too. It is a significant and original contribution to the field, written in a highly accessible style, and will almost certainly feature highly on reading lists for research methods courses across the social sciences. Alongside the useful annexes and glossary, the authors' use of anecdotal examples and humour bring the text to life, making it broadly accessible without superfluous pomp. From traditional social science to computational approaches, the handbook looks not only at how open science has been done, but also what its many futures may become as they unfold. It is landmark text for open science."-Matthew Hanchard, University of Sheffield
"Dunleavy and Monteath have delivered a much-needed invaluable guide to help academics and students better understand open research through the lens of social sciences. Whether you are already practising open social science or starting from scratch, the authors showcase a wealth of knowledge and practical tips to help turn quantitative and qualitative outputs into something truly open and reusable."-Andy Tattersall, Consultant, Open Research Communications Expert
"This book's focus on open social science does much more than it seems. By using the openness philosophy as a lens, it offers a range of state-of-the-art discussions of social science methods and practicalities. As such, it will be a terrific guide to a wide range of social science researchers who are broadly open to the argument but wondering what to do next."-Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of Stirling
"Doing Open Social Science: A Guide for Researchers provides conceptual clarity and practical guidance for improving rigor and transparency of research. Dunleavy and Monteath translate concepts like preregistration, reproducibility, replication and open data for both quantitative and qualitative researchers. After providing the reader with a conceptual framework for thinking about open science, the authors offer grounded advice and insight on translating those ideas into practice. The book powerfully blends theory and practice, helping social scientists improve their research."-Brian Nosek, Professor, University of Virginia, and Executive Director, Center for Open Science
