CRI Open Science Course
Course materials for the co-design of (open) science research projects - Version 2
At the Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI) (https://www.cri-paris.org/en) in Paris the Master students of the
Master students of the digital, learning and life sciences (https://www.cri-paris.org/en/education#04._aire-master) take a joint
course on open science in their first year. After a two-day kick-off workshop, the course 2020-2021 was designed around
project-based learning, in which interdisciplinary teams of 4-6 students run their own small research project from start to
finish over the course of 12 weeks. To facilitate their work they are accompanied by fortnightly group sessions and the
course materials we are sharing here.
The overall topic or “challenge” for the course research projects, in this case, was about learning processes at CRI,
but these research design materials can be adapted for other topics and areas.
Authors: Enric Senabre Hidalgo, Bastian Greshake Tzovaras, Ignacio Atal & Ariel Lindner
Date: March 2021
Source: Materials based on previous work from authors, Profs Chercheurs project (https://research.cri-pari
s.org/teampage?id=5cde7fa59a474e4a9f93b282) and Research co-design toolkit (https://figshare.com/artic
les/online_resource/Untitled_Item/5331190). For complementary sources see the legal notes.
How to use this (living) document?
This version of open course materials allow to copy and paste it completely or any of its components (sections, subsections,
tables, paragraphs, etc), in order to adapt them to the specific needs for other research courses of activities. It’s a first tested
version (and a work in progress through future similar courses) which can of course be improved so feedback welcome (http
s://peer-produced.science/contact/)!
Basic principles
1. Format: This is a template with a suggested sequence of specific steps that can guide you as a team to
collaboratively design a research project. It is based on previous materials from researchers at CRI, and
requires moving things around and completing different sections.
2. Participation: Each team has a template like this one for the same general challenge (but deal
autonomously and independently with their own research project on learning). At some parts you will be
invited to contribute individually here with your own ideas, comments and suggestions, followed by
sections and ways to decide as a group what to select and prioritize. Please try to consider and respect all
contributions equally, and move with collective intelligence and agreements at each stage (and also having
fun, when possible).
3. Discussion: One tip is to also generate notes and discussions anywhere during the process, to expand
the discussion and other relevant considerations as you move (in parallel to the course meetings). This
way, you will also document your learning and research process.
Sequence of the course and assignments
Guided by the calendar of the course and the indications from facilitators, students will follow the
sequence summarised in this info box to:
1. Get to know and depart from the research topics / concerns regarding learning [Assignment #1]
2. Develop the project’s research question(s) [Assignment #1]
3. Produce a first diagram and protocol of the research: concepts, methods, participants, logistics
[Assignment #2]
4. Perform data collection and analysis [Assignment #3]
5. Work on synthesis and results obtained:
Via presentation from all teams [Assignment #4]
Via manuscript draft [Assignment #5]
Sharing final manuscript / report
+ Feedback on the research process (by mentors and peers):
During synchronous video-call sessions
On documents derived from this template
Adding comments in other platforms or tools used by students (especially regarding final manuscript
document)
Identify research topics / concerns
The following discrete list of topics and potential areas of inquiry represent a first, incomplete but series of motivating issues
prepared from the course facilitators at CRI in a short brainstorming session preceding the open science course (in this case,
with a focus on learning-related experiences and challenges). Please consider them as departing points or inspiration, so
following the next sections you can try to “adopt” or “adapt” them, but also think about different ones which motivate you
as a team…
1. Time spent on learning...
1. Virtual vs physical
2. Time of the day
3. Time between classes
2. Sleep patterns during the course...
3. Resources used for learning...
4. Collaborative networks...
5. Stress / mood analysis when studying...
6. Language uses...
7. Learning styles...
8. Phone / screen time (distractions)...
9. ...what else?
Sandbox for new related questions or reformulating the above ones. Reflect here your
brainstorming:
Develop the research question(s)
A research question is what any research project wants to answer. Figuring out and choosing a research question is an
essential part of any type of scientific process (open or not). Afterwards the investigation will require data collection and
analysis, for which the choice of a methodology is also critical (but we will get to this later).
Good research questions seek to improve knowledge on an important challenge
or topic, and should usually be as narrow and specific as possible.
How to contribute to the development of your team’s research question
(RQ)?
1. Think about the brainstorming round based on previous examples of learning challenges and topics,
and which specific questions could be derived from them;
2. Write at least one question individually (we recommend anonymously), following the structure suggested
below;
3. Become a “peer-reviewer” of the rest of questions following the template, just adding your name to the
“Selection criteria” columns to show support (and comments if needed);
1. Originality: Regarding the impression you have that the question has been addressed before, or not, or
not properly (good moment for a quick literature review/check on Dimensions (https://www.dimensions.a
i/), Semantic Scholar (https://www.semanticscholar.org/), Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.es/) or
similar). Remember that all this is about radical openness, so the way you can make things open
science also counts here.
2. Feasibility: Remember that you will work together to answer the selected question! Consider if it maybe
leads to a very complex process, or some variables will be too difficult, or finding useful data is going to
be a hard mission, etc. Here is also a good moment to think about openness, because doing things
openly does not usually mean doing things easily.
3. Impact: Here it can be tricky because impact can mean many things. We would like you to think
basically about (1) “academic” impact (that is, in relation to originality and what you assume is the state
of the art) and (2) “social” impact (which relates to how the project can help to improve or change things
for good in a real-life given context).
4. As a general rule, add maximum 10 times your name on RQ table below (so each participants has in
total a maximum of “10 votes”) and do not vote as reviewer for your own question(s), in order to allow
the most coherent selection process possible.
Structure of possible research questions
Descriptive questions
How...?
What...?
How often...?
What percentage...?
What proportion...?
How far...?
What value...?
Relational questions
What is the relationship between...and...?
What is the effect of...on...?
Research questions brainstorming (by chronological order)
Reflect here the different research questions (RQ) generated during your discussion:
List of research questions
RQ #1
RQ #2
RQ #3
[etc]
Selection criteria
Originality
Student name 1, etc
Feasibility
Impact
Selection of main research question (and hypothesis)
Here in this second step, after checking results from the previous section and another round discussing them (if needed),
please use the template to indicate the first or main research question your team would like to work on, considering that:
1. You can still “merge” some of the previous questions or modify and improve a given one together, as result
of your deliberation.
2. You can also pick up one or two additional questions from the previous stage in case you think they are
interrelated, or there’s important subquestions (or you think you may need a “B plan” at some point).
3. Derived from that, we also invite you to describe a hypothesis in relation to the question(s). It is not always
necessary (and your project may not need it) but in case you think about one remember that...
A hypothesis is a tentative explanation for a phenomenon, but for a hypothesis
to be scientific it requires to be tested. It is usually based on previous
observations that cannot satisfactorily be explained with available scientific
studies, theories or literature.
...which means that, during this stage, you may need to go back to “reading mode” and invest some time in checking more
literature and studies :)
In this section you will also find additional areas with estimation of effort or time for answering the RQ, or where to reflect
previous literature and findings, etc. Please use them under your best criteria, and only if you consider them useful!
Reflect here the selected RQ and rest of needed details:
Selected research
question(s):
Keywords:
Type of people /
participants involved
(students, teachers,
researchers, laypeople,
institutions...):
Generic description of
the context:
What
is
the
problematic situation?
What could be the
underlying
causes?
What is the goal to
achieve? What would
need to happen in
order to consider that
the question has been
addressed
satisfactorily?
Additional
questions /
subquestion
#1:
Additional
questions /
subquestion
#2:
Literature research - What scientific articles address similar questions and/or hypotheses?
Summary of previous research - What are scientific studies and previous results saying about it?
Research design and protocol
This phase will help you to reflect how the protocol of the data collection process will take place, as well as other needed
logistics for your research.
Diagram of the research process
First of all, think about the key elements to include (from the main icons in the subsections below): research question(s) and
hypothesis, concepts or units of analysis, people and groups involved, methods to apply, etc. Select everything that your
team thinks would be necessary, discuss it and then organize it as a sequence following a temporary order (from left to right).
Diagram canvas
In order to reflect the overall approach of your research, you have to work on a shared presentation where to reflect the
different areas to cover according to your selected research questions and / or hypothesis in the previous stage. Consider this
canvas as a basic “collage” which reflects (1) the overall concepts to be addressed, as well as the sampling population of
participants to involve; (2) the “flow” of data collection and data analysis methods; and finally (3) some logistics or needed
tasks to take into account as well. These important ingredients of your research project range from more conceptual to more
practical, and have an implicit sequence or progression you have to consider as well.
You can download this directly as a PNG image, and use it as background in a shared presentation
program or visual editor of your choice
Larger description / outline of the research project:
Please add here a couple of paragraphs explaining the diagram with more details, as well as the overall
research goals and process.
In order to fill this canvas by “copy and paste” from the options below, your team has a dedicated template like this one,
where you can add more information or details regarding each selected icon, in order to make more clear for you and rest of
the course participants what the research plan is about, in general terms. This won't cover more precise considerations or
even changes of plans as you move through the data collection and analysis phases in the next stages (and sections of this
document), but consider it as a sort of visual point of departure.
Research elements to consider
The following lists contain the main elements or “ingredients” for your research diagram on the canvas, as icons you can
directly copy and paste and put in a sequential order on your slides document. It is important, as mentioned, that you add
titles or short descriptions to them once selected and reflected on the diagram, for a better general understanding of the
research process. Although the list is long, you only need to select a few of them!
High-level concepts related to the research challenge
This icon is for questions regarding learning (in relation to this specific topic of the course), as already
discussed in your team brainstorming in connection with the selected RQ or hypothesis. It is simply a reminder
of key concepts derived from it (it can be many things, according to what you plan to do: accessibility, equality,
formal education, stress, learning materials, concentration, motivation or any other of the many derived issues
you are already wondering about).
Sampling population / participants
Use this icon (more than one time, if needed) to reflect the type of participants you need to observe, ask or
obtain data from / about during the research. Think about your team as “self-researchers” but additionally the
broad learning and teaching community: students of different types, teachers or mentors, family, education
institutions, etc. Depending on the ambition and needs of the research you are planning, now is a good moment
to be as specific about them as possible! + Info on sampling (https://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/menetelmapolkuj
a/en/methodmap/data-collection/total-research-sampling-and-purposive-sampling)
Methods for data collection
We show below a short list of possible data collection methods and techniques among the big diversity of methods usually
used for research. Consider it also as a set of recommendations, based on this type of research challenge (about learning
experiences) and the specific research questions you plan to answer empirically. You will probably just need one or two of
them, since the more you implement the more complex your research will probably be.
Online survey: This is a data generation and collection method in which you present a list of questions to a
selected group of participants. It can have multiple choice questions, or only one choice, or instead open ended
questions (or a combination of them). The way you formulate the questionnaire influences whether or not you
can use quantitative or qualitative methods of its analysis. You can use several online tools for this, like
LimeSurvey (https://www.limesurvey.org/), Google Forms (https://www.google.com/forms/about/) or Typeform (htt
ps://www.typeform.com/), among many other possibilities. + Info on surveys (https://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/m
enetelmapolkuja/en/methodmap/data-collection/surveys)
Content analysis: Although it can also be seen as an analytical tool, we suggest this possibility as a specific
data collection tool in terms of accessing existing content or knowledge reflected in open or accessible online
formats. In this case this can be course materials, curriculum descriptions, results from evaluations, books or
manuals, for example. Once you collect them, you can classify them into specific categories, compare them to
other types of analysis regarding your research, or as the base for additional methods.
Open datasets: This is another possible collection method, for already existing data from previous studies or
sources, where you access and work with available data from repositories and process it with a new purpose or
research objective. It can be the main source of your research (combining different open datasets) or
complementary to it, if you have also generated new data from other methods. One popular resource is the
Harvard Dataverse (https://dataverse.harvard.edu/) repository (where you can find several datasets related to
education and learning using the search features).
Web scraping: This technique will require some specific skills for accessing data which is not open or treated
for research purposes, but instead contained on PDFs, online spreadsheets or other online sources to explore.
Once you identify those sources (in this case regarding learning and education, but it can also be
sociodemographic information) you need to “copy & paste” or use more sophisticated coding processes to
recover interesting data. + Info on web scraping (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping)
Wearables: This is a recently popular and relatively accessible way of gathering personal data about oneself,
which depending on the aim of your research could be useful as well. However, it could be the case that not all
participants have a wearable at their disposal or can get one for the sole purpose of the study. Popular wearables
today like Fitbit (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitbit) or similar allow to track data like steps walked, heart rate,
sleep patterns and more, which can offer interesting insights even with small samples or participants (and also
taking into account its reliability as well as possible problems accessing raw data, depending on the tool).
If you prefer to use other data collection methods or tools, you can check for more for example at the Guide to research and
research methods for Master’s (M.A.) students at the Faculty of Humanities of University of Jyväskylä (Finland), here (http
s://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/menetelmapolkuja/en/methodmap/data-collection). Also, for finding the corresponding icons to
reflect them, we recommend you to use TheNounProject platform (https://thenounproject.com/), with all types of icons like
these ones, available under Creative Commons licenses.
Methods for data analysis
Below there’s another list of methods to start to consider at this stage of your research project design, in close relation to the
ones suggested above. That is, several possible ways to analyze the data you obtain, regarding the scope and objectives of
your research question. Again, it is just a series of suggestions for you to consider, which can also influence the previous
choices regarding methods for data gathering. For this reason, on your research design diagram they should be placed in
close connection to the data gathering methods. Although there could be different things to know in advance and take into
account when analyzing your data, we will cover that part of the project in other sections of this document.
Time series analysis: Time-series analysis tries to measure the existence of a phenomenon in relation to time
or periods, stages, etc. For this you need to make observations or measurements of the phenomena during a
certain sequence of time. Then you usually categorize and describe the observations or measurements with
statistical methods, as the base for obtaining and interpreting results. + Info on time series analysis (https://kop
pa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/menetelmapolkuja/en/methodmap/data-analysis/time-series-analysis)
Correlation analysis: Correlation methods of analysis aim to describe the correlation between two variables.
Correlation analysis attests the relation between two or more variables, but does not usually measure the causal
relation between them. This type of analysis may also indicate the intensity of the relationship between
variables. + Info on correlation analysis (https://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/menetelmapolkuja/en/methodmap/data
-analysis/correlation-analysis)
Causal analysis: Causal analysis aims to explain the causal relations between variables. If you want to indicate
explicit causality, your study must include some sort of experiment or experimental approach. This way you can
compare control and treatment groups, for example, with some sort of variance analysis. You may also use
regression analysis, which measures causality in a weaker way. + Info on causal analysis (https://koppa.jyu.fi/a
voimet/hum/menetelmapolkuja/en/methodmap/data-analysis/causal-analysis)
Descriptive statistical analysis: Common features of quantitative analysis are graphical representations of
statistically analysed data. Here you use descriptive statistical analysis to indicate, for example, the quantities,
frequencies, distributions or classifications of phenomena. This “transversal” form of analysis often forms a
basis for a more detailed approach to the phenomena studied, such as correlation or causality analysis. Open
source tools like Raw Graphs can be useful for this type of “visual” analysis. + Info on descriptive statistical
analysis (https://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/menetelmapolkuja/en/methodmap/data-analysis/descriptive-statistical
-analysis)
Classification analysis: You may use classification when the data consists of a large group of research
objects. For this you typically outline and divide the group into classes of objects (sharing similar qualities or
resemblances), so you can explain and describe the composition and essence of each group. Variations in
classification can vary in terms of degree of logic or similarities, sliding between exact and imprecise. + Info on
classification analysis (https://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/menetelmapolkuja/en/methodmap/data-analysis/classifi
cation)
Network analysis: Network analysis usually aims to explore and explain social structures and the
interdependence of social phenomena. Networks are somehow “everywhere” and can be understood as
informative and define relationships between objects and phenomena. The focus of this type of analysis is
usually an agent, such as people, organizations, events and other networked processes. The analysis does not
aim to explore and explain all the characteristics or quality of the phenomena but the network of relationships
around or inside it. + Info on network analysis (https://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/menetelmapolkuja/en/methodma
p/data-analysis/network-analysis)
If you prefer to explore and use other data analysis methods, you can look for more here (https://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/m
enetelmapolkuja/en/methodmap/data-analysis/data-analysis).
Research logistics
Finally, another order of things to consider in your research has to do with very practical tasks and skills needed for making
it possible. From dissemination to data management, and as something especially important in the way these could be more
transparent and coherent with open science principles and practices.
Contact participants: Once you have defined the data collection methods, you will need to define the best
strategy for reaching out to the people if you want to engage external participants in the research process (as
“subjects” of study or co-researchers, following citizen science principles). This could require using emails,
forum messages, social media or other channels. Also, this implies to define a clear and succinct explanation of
the research aim and who is part of it, the intended use of personal data, etc.
Project information: In relation to the previous point, you may need to set a basic document or website
summarising the project research once it is under development, like who is behind it, the research objectives
and ways to engage with it, or how to get more information about the process. All this, again, needs some
communication skills, but it is also an important part of researching things openly (and an effort that would
already help you to write down the purpose, background and results of the research for later on).
Data management: Once you start to collect data and analyse it, it could be needed to establish a good
strategy for storing it, as well as for sharing it openly online as open science “in the making”, depending on the
type of content you work with. Also, because collaborating in teams can usually result in problems for finding the
right document or information, especially when needed, if some data management practices have not been
properly considered beforehand.
Programming / coding: Depending on the data gathering or analysis methods you want to apply, having
someone in the team with good programming or software development skills could be also important. For
example for the mentioned data gathering methods of web scraping (if they need to be very elaborated) or for
specific types of network analysis.
Other needs
Economic, logistic, ethical, bureaucratic, etc.
Research design examples
Below we provide an example of the Keating Memorial (https://peer-produced.science/Keating-Memorial-research/), a
current research project under development at the CRI Peer-Produced Research Lab (https://peer-produced.science/), which
summarises in a visual way (using the same canvas as icons) the project’s alignment of research questions, concepts,
methods and some of the “logistics” required. The main aim of the Keating Memorial project is understanding individual
processes when doing personal citizen science, as well as the group dynamics taking place in these communities of practice
and the role of technological infrastructure during the process. As the base of participants and sample population, it’s focused
on self-researchers engaged in the Open Humans community (https://www.openhumans.org/).
Diagram of the research process - Example from Peer-Produced Research Lab (Keating Memorial
project)
As you can see above, two of the main research questions addressed in that project are: (RQ1) “What do individuals learn
when participating in personal science and citizen science, and what are their motivations?”; (RQ2) “How are community
interactions experienced by people engaged in personal science?”. The methods CRI researchers are currently applying in
this case are content analysis of web interactions and semi-structured interviews, previous to a community survey, to get a
typology of participants and relevant categories according to the three mentioned concepts (motivations, learning processes
and peer support). As mentioned, the research diagram above is for the purpose of an example at this stage of the course, but
based on a long-term project with many other specifics (if you want to know more, you can find additional information and
related details of the research project on GitHub (https://github.com/PeerProducedResearch/Keating-Memorial-research)).
Another example could be self-research done by two members of the Open Humans community regarding the effects of the
first covid lockdown at the individual level, specifically regarding productivity and physical activity (for more info see Paula
Neonova’s blog (https://pleonova.github.io/shelter-in-place/) and Bastian Greshake Tzovaras’ blog (https://tzovar.as/lockdow
n-effects/)). Although slightly different, the concrete aim of both projects (which we summarize as a single process below)
was driven by the challenges derived from personal situations when people were forced to drastically change their daily
routines, usually shifting to a home office approach.
Diagram of the research process - Diagram of the research process - Example about personal research
regarding covid lockdown (Open Humans)
The concrete research questions of both self-research projects was to study measurable effects of the confinement in the
researcher's behavior and physical activity. The data collection methods used were mainly self-tracking wearables and
mobile apps, followed by data visualizations and comparisons.
Research protocol
A research protocol or proposal is a document describing the objectives, design, methodology, statistical considerations and
organization of a research project. The research protocol also covers how you will ensure the integrity of the data collected.
Here you can find an example of one of the research protocols from the Peer Produced Lab (https://docs.google.com/docum
ent/d/1mnSbnlrK376telGXttvzyz-5dYcci0kL79y2sdZaWak/edit), for the Transbiome project (https://www.transbiome.org/i
nformation-english) about the exploration of the microbial diversity in the neovaginal microbiome.
At this stage, it is important that derived from your research diagram and the research questions (as well as additional
material like references, overall challenge, data management, etc), you complete the following protocol document template
with the detailed description of your project, prior to starting the data collection process and rest of research tasks.
Study title (One sentence)
1. Context and
rationale for
research
Rational presenting the context and hypotheses of research. It also includes key
concepts, references to literature and previous studies or state of the art. (Two pages
maximum, including references)
2.1 Primary objective: (One sentence)
2. Objectives
and
evaluation
criteria
Context: (Half page maximum)
Research question(s): (Only the question)
2.2 Secondary objectives: (If needed)
Context:
Research question(s):
3.1 Description of the study design
Recruitment of participants: (One paragraph)
Description of the data gathering tool(s): (One paragraph)
Data access, storage and processing: (One paragraph)
3.
Organisation
of the study
3.2 Methodology
Method #1: (One paragraph)
Method #2: (If needed)
3.3 Data analysis (One paragraph per methodology)
Data collection and analysis
Project deployment and outreach
As the next stage of your research project, you should consider the different supports, communication strategies and
dissemination channels for getting participants to provide data that you can analyse afterwards. For this, the following
sections invite you to consider important elements of content, as well as tools needed for the best possible outreach and
deployment of the study.
Project title and outline
Rather than the detailed approach needed for the research protocol, in this section you should elaborate a plain, easy to
understand short text explaining the general purpose or challenge of the research (but avoiding as much as possible details
which can induce bias or affect the expected results). Also add information about the project team, some contact details and
mentioning anonymization in data sharing. In case of specific requirements or characteristics for the type of participants
needed for the study, this should also be clearly stated in this section. This information will be used for the landing page of
your project (at the end of this stage), with a consistent URL at the CRI projects page (https://projects.cri-paris.org/discover).
Project title and outline:
Write one or two concise paragraphs maximum
Project background image
The landing page of your project at the CRI directory allows for a representative image as background, for that more
“creative” part of the layout you should consider images from repositories like Creative Commons (https://search.creativeco
mmons.org/) or Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Images) with copyleft licenses.
Project background image:
Link to the selected image(s)
Data gathering tool
Whereas a survey or other required tool for data gathering, right after the project description and invitation to participate, you
should include the link where participants can provide the data. For surveys you could consider easy and usable tools like
LimeSurvey (https://www.limesurvey.org/), Google Forms (https://www.google.com/forms/about/) or Typeform (https://ww
w.typeform.com/). The header text there can also repeat some of the basic information provided on the project's landing /
info page, as well as an estimation of approximate time required for filling in the requested information.
Data gathering tool:
Link to the data gathering tool, platform, etc
Project dissemination
This section refers to all the communication strategies and channels you can consider for reaching out and getting
participants to visit your project landing page (providing the specific link). The following list is a first suggestion of possible
ones, but feel free to add more or avoid some according to your plan. You can check first as an example of possible content
and style the communication templates (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PKjWPZfEUm7wBaV7FoTyCl5fKgd-DOsw
S1mg2FBMaaE/edit) used for the Covid open survey project (https://www.opencovid.care/).
Project dissemination plan:
Tool /
channel
Considerations
Individual
emails
Template
message which
can be
personalized if
needed (adding
name)
Message
to
forums,
mailing
lists, etc
Similar
message as
above, but
oriented to an
audience (third
person plural)
instead of
individuals.
Add template text here
Social
media
For online
channels like
Twitter,
Facebook or
similar, you
should consider
a very short but
informative text
inviting users to
know more by
visiting the link.
Add template text here
Other
For other
platforms like
Instagram (with
a relevant
image), or
Whatsapp
(adapted to
specific groups
or contacts) or
shared videos,
add details
here.
Add template text here
Content
Add template text here
Data gathering
Following the principle of peer support in the context of the course, as an initial data gathering process we invite the
following 3 “clusters” of student teams to fill in the surveys (and other methods, when applied) of each other’s projects:
Teams 1-4-9
Teams 2-3-5
Teams 6-7-8
For this, you have to access the course main document to find the title and links to each project landing page (or survey
instead) on the project’s table, where these clusters are also indicated on the right column. Please first make sure you check
and update the basic information per each team.
Data analysis
This part of the research process should allow you to start answering the research questions and confirming (or not) your
initial hypothesis. As a non-linear process on many occasions, this phase of the research can be started (or “tested”) while
the data gathering is still underway, so you can have some initial insights and preliminary results.
Regardless of the stage of data gathering for your project, at this stage of the course, we invite you to start doing some
preliminary visualizations below about your progress and possible approaches to analyse your data. In relation to the
different alternatives, you can check again the section above “Methods for data analysis” and use one of these main possible
tools:
Google Forms - How to make a graph in Google Sheets (https://www.howtogeek.com/446699/how-to-makea-graph-in-google-sheets/)
Raw Graphs (https://rawgraphs.io/) (open source) - For more elaborated visualizations (https://rawgraphs.io/
gallery/)
Gephi (https://gephi.org/) (open source) - Even more sophisticated (https://gephi.org/features/)
Prototyping visualizations
In the form below, reflect at least 3 possible approaches to visualize the data gathered through your survey and the selected
tool, adding some text for each visualization to reflect its main value or related results.
Important: In case you have not yet gathered enough data via your survey or other methods, for the purpose of this part of
the course (and corresponding session) you can also “simulate” the data, in a way that even if you cannot still derive real
initial results, you are exploring the possible visualizations and analyses.
Graph screenshot and short explanatory text
Visualization
#1
Paste or upload the visualization and descriptive text here...
Paste or upload the visualization and descriptive text here...
Visualization
#2
Paste or upload the visualization and descriptive text here...
Visualization
#3
Results, publishing and dissemination
In this part of the course, we have a session dedicated exclusively to present each team’s results, followed by a round of
comments and questions after each project.
Link to your presentation / document with preliminary results:
Feedback about research results
Below you will find the first feedback from the teacher’s team for the preliminary results presentation session.
Reviewers
Date
Comments:
Research manuscript
This part of the research process refers to the necessary steps to publish and share your research, following a series of
standard practices and formats in Academia (and also new possible open ones). For this, once you have completed the
previous stages above, and discussed possible approaches within your team, the best strategy is to start drafting a
“manuscript” that puts together all the previous elements you have worked with.
The following is a common format in academic papers (the IMRD model (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMRAD)) which we
invite you to follow as the last part of your research process. Here, instead of starting things from scratch, you will mostly
need to consider the previous sections and content (research questions, state of the art, protocol, visualizations, etc) and
“reuse” it in a coherent, easy to follow order.
Here’s a great guide to follow as much as you can: A framework for scientific
papers (https://sites.google.com/view/reasonedwriting/home/FRAMEWORK_FO
R_SCIENTIFIC_PAPERS?authuser=0), by Devin Jindrich.
Title (Up to 16 words)
Your title should be a clear premise, carrying the main result of your research and context, strictly confined
to what your data supports.
Bad example: Gender of teachers determined career outcome
Good example: Higher professional esteem of men over women when using identical course narrative
by European graduate students
Abstract (Up to 120 words)
Carries the crux of your paper. Must include clearly defined phrases on:
Framing the context
Hypothesis
Methodology
Main results
Conclusion
Perspective
Here’s an example of how to develop a Nature introductory paragraph
We invite you to add a visual abstract (you can also consider that possibility, as an additional form of open
dissemination) as often requested in leading journals.
Introduction
This section should contain:
A) WHY is the area of research important? (1 Paragraph)
B) WHAT is the GAP in scientific understanding? (2-4 paragraphs)
C) Your hypothesis and HOW do the proposed General and Measurable hypotheses FILL the gap in
understanding? (1-3 paragraphs)
D) Overall plan (e.g., to this end we set…. And find that…)
Methods
Clearly describe your methodology and its choice (including references to precedent use)
Include protocol (with link to the actual survey etc)
Results
Analysed data in table/graph format
Link to raw data
Discussion
Interpretation of results (What does it mean?)
Any shortcoming
Direct implications for the research question at hand
Speculation
Free non-peer-reviewed paragraph where you could suggest wider implications to the field and speculate
further about the validity and implication of your results in other contexts
Link to your manuscript draft:
Self-reflection about the research process
The following questions and sections are for you as a team to reflect your main impressions and learning or findings
regarding the course process. Since you developed as students a research project together, from different backgrounds and
previous experiences, try to answer the following from a perspective of “students as researchers”, and in order of priority for
each section.
Research project
What have been the three more challenging things for you as a team when developing your
research project?
1.
2.
3.
Openness and collaboration
How have you experienced openness and collaboration during the process? Please provide three
short examples:
1.
2.
3.
Future research
How would you improve your research process if you could redo it from scratch? Please provide
three concrete ideas:
1.
2.
3.
Author contributions
Please consider completing the following information with each author’s initials at the end of your manuscript. Reflecting
author and researcher contributions is another open science practise that allows to understand the development of a project in
more detail, who to address in case of doubts, and have a more precise way to attribute contributions. Feel free to remove
types of contributions which don’t apply to your case, or add additional ones if you consider it necessary for your specific
research project (like dissemination, translation, testing, etc).
Author contributions:
Conceptualization, ; Data curation, ; Formal analysis, ; Investigation, ; Methodology, ;
Software, ; Visualization, ; Figures: ; Writing—original draft, ; Writing—review and
editing, ; Project administration, .
Bonus track!
After your research process and teamwork during the course, as part of this “infinite play” of doing (open) science, we
would like you to take a good look at the following manual (and leave at any moment your impressions if you want
accordingly!).
Here’s a great book to read carefully: Caron, B. R. (2020). Open Scientist
Handbook (https://openscientist.pubpub.org/pub/play/release/2)
Impressions from members of this research team on the handbook? :)
Annex: feedback on research process
“Rereading” the generic description and details of the research project proposed by the team can help them to progressively
produce a description that is understood in the same way by the rest of course participants, as well as different people and
education actors (in this specific research topic case), even if they come from different backgrounds. The objective of the
reviews or feedback is to support team members in a benevolent way to help them improve the description and development
of their open science research, by pointing out elements that could be improved, modified or could need more clarification.
Especially, to signal and discuss opportunities for “opening up” each stage of the research process.
The templates in this section are to be used in specific parts of the course by facilitators in parallel to each research process
and stages. Except when indicated, the review should be done by people outside the team, and these cycles should be done
by different reviewers to maximize the chances that the text will be assessed by people from diverse backgrounds. Feedback
templates (for course facilitators) This additional section contains two samples of the feedback forms ideated for course
facilitators, which are used in some sections above but can also be personalized and adapted to give specific feedback on
other parts of the research documentation of every student's team.
Add an X to “yes” or “no” to the different questions. If the answer to any of the questions is “no,” add comments directly to
the description text to help co-authors improve it. The point is not to say whether what has been written is "good" or "bad"
but to kindly help the team members as co-authors to clarify what needs to be improved.
Feedback on research questions
Reviewers:
Yes
Date:
After reviewing the list of research questions, seems the selected one the best option?
Otherwise, indicate with comments the other possible
improvements that can be applied to the selected one.
ones
or
Can the research question be inspiring for other learners and/or teachers?
The approach should be clear and relevant enough that other people in the
CRI learning community can relate to their own context.
Is the research challenge explained in a clear way?
Other participants and learners should understand this without difficulty.
Does this research question and approach have the potential to be developed under
open science practices?
Consider all the options related to open sharing of materials, data,
contributions, etc. under clear open licenses or tools.
General comments:
Feedback on research diagram and protocol
No
Reviewers:
Date:
Yes
No
Does the proposed diagram and protocol correspond to a research design?
A research design must start from a defined problem or concern and refer to
an explicit and detailed research question and/or hypothesis to be
achieved, as well as the methods used.
Does the research protocol have the potential to be developed under open science
practices?
Consider all the options related to open sharing of materials, data,
contributions, etc. under clear open licenses or tools.
Is the connection between the different elements (concepts, population, methods and
logistics) clear enough?
Other participants and researchers in general should understand this
without difficulty.
Are the selection of data collection and data analysis methods coherent and doable?
Other researchers and participants should understand this without difficulty.
General comments:
Legal notes
1. The list of research questions and the publishable versions of the different projects can be shared
afterwards by participants under a CC BY-NC-SA license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
In this sense, you should not share personal or sensitive data (on this and the derived documents) about
participants or the people you work with.
2. The writing traces left in this document (different versions, drafts, comments, etc.) could be used by the
organisation developing the course and by the rest of participants and students for research purposes, in a
completely anonymous manner.
3. The materials reflected in this document contain icons (uploaded to Wikiversity with the corresponding
copyleft attributions) from Kyle Miller, Iconstock, sevgenjory, Vectors Point, Adrien Coquet, Siipkan Creative,
DinosoftLab, Nithinan Tatah, Arif Arif, Misbahul Munir, Eucalyp, ProSymbols, H Alberto Gongora, Nanda
Ririz, ProSymbols, vigorn, Alvaro Cabrera, developed for TheNounProject under a Creative Commons
license.
4. The text for research methods listed in section 4.1.2 has been adapted in some examples, as indicated,
from the original content on "Guide to research and research methods for Master’s (M.A.) students" (https://k
oppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/hum/menetelmapolkuja/en), developed at the Faculty of Humanities of University of
Jyväskylä (Finland), licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License.
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