Behaviour change
Research is behaviour – we do research. Engaging in open research means engaging in a variety of specific behaviours. Some of these behaviours may have even been discouraged in some of the research training you have received, depending on when you did your research training. For this reason, it can be useful to think of engaging in open research as just another behaviour that you can think about changing, like healthy eating or exercising!
The COM-B model proposes that capability, opportunity, and motivation are necessary for behaviour change. The diagram below summarises what the COM-B model says about the conditions that are most likely to lead to effective behaviour change.
In a survey of researchers in psychology departments across the UK and Ireland, researchers found that capability, opportunity, and motivation all affected someone’s likelihood to engage in open research practices (e.g. preregistration, and open data and materials). However, the strongest predictor was automatic motivation – agreement with these statements:
- I have developed the habit of engaging in open research practices as an everyday part of my research process.
- When I think about my research, I automatically think about the open research elements as well.
Activity 1:
Allow about 10 minutes
Think about what you’ve learned in Weeks 1 to 7 of this course. Spend ten minutes writing down your ideas about how you could implement open research as part of your everyday research habits.
Use the note-writing box below to record your ideas.
Introduction