A Workflow for Open Reproducible Code in Science (WORCS)

Session Type: Professional Development Session

Abstract

Academia is reaching the tipping point of a paradigm shift towards open science. Open science is more reliable, cumulative, collaborative, and promotes inclusivity by removing barriers for participation. Capitalizing on these advances has the potential to accelerate scientific progress, as has been demonstrated by the scientific response to the coronavirus. However, adopting open science principles can be challenging and time-intensive, requiring substantial conceptual education and training in the use of new tools. The Workflow for Open Reproducible Code in Science (WORCS) is designed to cut the learning curve. WORCS is a step-by-step procedure to make research open and reproducible, grounded in sensible defaults and best practices, which can be used either in parallel to, or in absence of, existing requirements by journals, institutions, and funding bodies. To facilitate widespread adoption, these principles are implemented in an R-package, offering an RStudio project template that is, effectively, a "one-click solution". The first half of this Session is theoretical; introducing the various best practices implemented in WORCS with regard to the sharing of data, code, and research materials, pre-registration, publishing preprints and research archives, and metadata. We discuss how WORCS meets the requirements of open science (including the TOP-guidelines and FAIR principles), and address questions from the audience. The second half of the session is a live demonstration of the implementation of worcs in R, during which a fully open and reproducible research project is created in only 30 minutes. This Session is hosted by the lead author of WORCS, Caspar van Lissa.

Sub Unit

• Professional Development Sessions

Session Organizer

• Caspar J. Van Lissa, Universiteit Utrecht