Author: Dominic Porter

ReproducibiliTea | Open Research – Where do I start? | 05 November 2025

Dominic Porter/ / Blog posts, ReproducibiliTea blog posts

Welcome back to ReproducibiliTea for 2025/2026 – our dedicated space to talk about Open Science with insights from invited speakers! For this year we went bold and decided that not one, not two, but three speakers for each session would give you, dear reader, the best overview of each topic. Our slightly longer session of ~1.5 hours hosted online gives us the opportunity to reach more people and gives you the opportunity to really get into the topic and hear different perspectives and experiences, with plenty of time for an engaging Q&A. So, without further ado, keep reading to discover all about our first session of the year! 

For the November ReproducibiliTea edition, we had a pleasure to host three excellent speakers: Dr Larissa Peixoto, from the School of Social and Political Science (UoE), Dr Theo Andrew, from Library and University Collections Services (UoE), and, last but not least, Prof Malcolm Macleod, from the School of Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences (UoE). All of the speakers gave some important insights into their personal journey into Open Research, along with some recommendations and useful resources. We have a recording at the end of this post for you to watch, and in the meantime, here are the main insights and suggestions from each speaker: 

Larissa 

Larissa is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Political Science at UoE, but her interest in working reproducibly started quite some time ago when she realized some of the flaws in Brazilian voting system. 

Main insight:  

“Making Data available with no explanation on how these data were obtained or can be used does not make them open!” 

Recommendations: 

  • If you are doing something repetitively – automate it, so it becomes reproducible and transparent. Do everything that helps you keep organized.  
  • Decolonize your sources – consider looking into science produced by scientists in a different country next time you are gathering data or checking literature.

Theo 

Theo is the Scholarly Communications Manager at the University, who is also an amazing advocate for Open Access and Open Source.  Was your thesis deposited onto Edinburgh Research Archive and now is digitally available all over the world? Well, he is one of the main people you should thank for that! 

Main insight:  

“Open research practices are multiple, and the secret is to start small and to do the ones that make you most excited.  These are building block that will sum up long term.” 

Recommendations: 

  • Create a Data Management Plan, use preprints, publish detailed Methods and Protocols – everything is important. 
  • Populate your research profile, register on ORCID – Openness starts with people.

Malcolm 

Malcom is Professor of Neurology and Translational Neuroscience and Co-Director of Edinburgh Neuroscience at UoE. He has also been the Academic lead for Research Improvement and Research Integrity at the University. Still not impressed? Well, he is also the co-founder of CAMARADES – the Collaborative Approach to Meta-analysis and Review of Animal Data from Experimental Studies, a research group aiming to highlight problems with in vivo research and providing evidence for clinical trial design using evidence synthesis. He is the man to talk about open research. 

Main insight:  

“Research about how research is done is fascinating. The value of information increases when shared and used, and information is not depletable. Progress is made one funeral at a time.” 

Recommendations: 

  • Remember: Open Research is connected to Research Integrity and Research Culture – any actionable suggestion to improve Open Science should be able to improve the overall picture. 
  • The metrics of Open Research, such as number of open access publications, are important – but remember that it is not just about the metrics! 

 

Additional Sources of Interest for our readers: 

  • Lens.org – Explore global science and technology knowledge and do some cool data analysis! 
  • Openjournalscollective.org – a collective of libraries and university-based publishers changing the way that academic research is supported and disseminated. 
  • Scielo.org – the Latin American Scientific Electronic Library Online project 

 

As a reminder, ReproducibiliTea sessions take place online on the first Wednesday of every other month 10-11:30 AM – join us for the next session on 7th January 2026! On alternating months, we now host Honest Research Conversations (HRCs), EORI’s first ever in-person event – join us at the Edinburgh Future Institute (EFI) next month to have a chat about next month’s topic, “How to work openly”, focusing on different stages of a project’s lifespan. 

Building a More Open Research Community: New Initiatives from EORI

Dominic Porter/ / Blog posts, Honest Research Conversations blog posts, ReproducibiliTea blog posts

Honest Conversations about open research and reproducibility at Edinburgh 

If you’ve ever wondered how open research practices can genuinely transform a university’s research culture, look no further than the fresh initiatives launched by Edinburgh Open Research Initiative (EORI). Once known for hosting the journal club and ReproducibiliTea speaker sessions, EORI is now starting an exciting new chapter, one that’s all about building community, sparking cross-, inter-, and multidisciplinary conversations, and having honest discussions about the best ways to accomplish research. 

So, what’s changing? For starters, EORI is expanding on its classic ReproducibiliTea event. Previously, these gatherings consisted of a one-hour online meeting each month and set up an amazing core community of interested members. But the team at EORI saw the potential to do even more. 

The new format will now feature sessions every other month, with an increased duration of around 90 minutes, to add time for debate and questions. Each session will tackle a chosen theme within open research, explored through talks by speakers from different schools, disciplines, or career stages. By drawing on expertise from across the University of Edinburgh and academia in general, these events aim to foster richer discussions and more inclusive participation. This is a debate that we all must be involved in. 

Another new development is the Honest Research Conversations (HRC) series. Think debate, catharsis, and the power of collaboration, all rolled into one. These in-person gatherings will coincide with the themes of the upcoming ReproducibiliTea sessions and are designed to be informal, welcoming, and above all, safe spaces. Researchers from any background are invited to share their experiences – the good, bad, and the ugly – around implementing open, reproducible, or otherwise good research practices. These will not be recorded and are based on Chatham House Rules – what is said in HRC, stays in HRC. 

This has all been possible due to our previous members efforts in bringing on board new volunteers (rather than try to do it all themselves!). Our mission, which we have chosen to accept? To help amplify the message, create more engaging content, and get the university buzzing with conversations about open research. We will be blogging, posting, organising, all with the aim supporting the university in ongoing dialogue, curiosity, and change that ripples out across the campus and beyond. 

If you’re interested in joining or learning more, stay tuned for upcoming events on BlueSky, Instagram and LinkedIn.