By Charlotte Pennington and Madeleine Pownall

Across many disciplines, confidence in the academic knowledge base has been shaken. Over the past decade, researchers have increasingly questioned whether published findings can be reliably replicated, reproduced, and trusted. What first gained attention as a so‑called ‘replication crisis’ in psychology during the 2010s (Pashler & Wagenmakers, 2012; Pennington, 2023) has since been recognised as a broader challenge spanning social, behavioural, and life sciences (e.g. Errington et al., 2021; Tyner et al., 2026; Miske et al., 2026).

These concerns raise difficult but necessary questions. How many research findings are robust enough to form the foundation for theory, policy, or practice? To what extent have questionable research practices—often driven by systemic incentives rather than individual misconduct—shaped the evidence base? And how might academic institutions themselves have unintentionally rewarded speed, novelty, and positive results over rigour and transparency?

In response to these challenges, a global movement known as open science has emerged. Rather than framing research reform as a story of crisis and failure, open science reframes it as a credibility revolution; an opportunity to strengthen how knowledge is produced, evaluated, and shared (Vazire, 2018; Munafò et al., 2022).

What Is Open Science?

At its core, open science is guided by a simple but powerful idea: that knowledge, where appropriate, should be openly accessible, transparent, rigorous, reproducible, replicable, cumulative, and inclusive (Parsons et al., 2022). Under this broad umbrella sit practical research behaviours, such as preregistering study plans, sharing data and analysis code, publishing open access, conducting replication studies, and documenting research decisions clearly and transparently.

These practices are increasingly recognised as essential, not only for improving scientific credibility but also for ensuring that research serves wider societal interests. Open science supports public trust in research, reduces unnecessary duplication, and helps findings be better scrutinised, reused, and built upon.

Importantly, this shift is no longer limited to a small group of reform‑minded researchers. Open science norms are now embedded in many funding requirements, journal policies, and institutional strategies. Yet while expectations around research practice have evolved rapidly, we argue that student education has not kept pace.

The Missing Piece: Open Science is Not Taught Routinely

Despite growing consensus about the value of open and transparent research, students—who represent the grassroots of our research disciplines—are rarely taught why these practices matter, how they emerged, or how to use them in practice. Many students graduate without ever encountering the replication crisis, learning how preregistration works, or being encouraged to critically reflect on the incentives shaping academic research.

This gap matters. If open science is treated as something researchers encounter only later in their careers, often through trial, error, or compliance, then opportunities are missed. If students do not understand why they cannot replicate or reproduce previous studies, or the incentives that shape researcher behaviour, then we risk contributing to a ‘leaky pipeline’ where budding researchers leave. Further, without understanding the issues underpinning research, our students cannot contribute to action to improve the research ecosystem. Embedding open science early in the higher education curriculum thus allows students to develop not only technical skills, but also habits of critical thinking, ethical awareness, and reflection about how evidence is generated and shared.

It was this mismatch between what modern research demands and what students are typically taught that motivated us, Pennington & Pownall, to co-edit Teaching Open Science!

A Practical Guide for Educators

Teaching Open Science brings together 48 international, multidisciplinary experts in pedagogy and research culture to offer practical, experience‑based guidance on integrating open science into higher education. Rather than advocating abstract ideals, the book focuses on how teaching actually happens.

Each chapter is written as a clear, accessible ‘how‑to’ guide. Chapters include embedding reproducible research across curricula, supervising student projects using open practices, preregistering studies with students, teaching replication, engaging with qualitative open research, and re-thinking openness to support inclusivity, decolonisation, and responsible research conduct.

Throughout the book our contributors draw upon their own classroom experiences, case studies, and student reflections to illustrate what works, what doesn’t, and how challenges can be navigated realistically within institutional constraints.

As Marcus Munafò, Professor of Psychology and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Bath, and a leading voice in research culture reform, observes:

“Pennington and Pownall – two prominent open research advocates – have marshalled an outstanding team of authors to provide a series of clear and accessible ‘how to’ guides to a range of open research practices. It is a rich and wide-ranging resource.”

Crucially, these chapters also encourage critical engagement with open science itself—examining not just how to implement practices, but when, why, and for whom they are most appropriate. As Julie Hulme, Professor of Psychology Education and National Teaching Fellow at Nottingham Trent University highlights:

“A treasure trove of expert advice, not only covering how to teach open science, but how to do so while engaging your students, decolonising your curriculum, and focusing on ethics and integrity. And all with genuine consideration to both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A fantastic resource to transform your teaching.”

An Invitation to Reimagine Research Education

A central message of Teaching Open Science is that openness should not be confined to a single research methods lecture or optional workshop. Instead, open science can meaningfully shape research education from the very start.

Embedding these principles offers benefits that extend well beyond research integrity. Students develop stronger scientific literacy, become more thoughtful consumers of evidence, and gain transferable skills aligned with contemporary research environments and graduate employment. Openness can also foster engagement, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of ethics and responsibility in knowledge production.

For educators, we hope our book provides reassurance as well as inspiration. You do not need to be an “open science expert” to begin teaching these ideas. Open science is not about perfection, but about cultivating transparency, reflection, and continual improvement; values that align closely with the educational mission of universities.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Researchers

Taken together, Teaching Open Science offers a comprehensive and practical account of how openness can be integrated into higher education across disciplines. By illuminating both the opportunities and challenges involved, the book aims to support educators in preparing students for a research landscape that places values of transparency, credibility, and inclusivity as its cornerstone.

Ultimately, open science can only thrive if it is taught. The students of today are the grassroots of tomorrow’s disciplines. By embedding open science into education, we can help ensure a future research culture that is open, transparent, and inclusive, and worthy of trust.

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Dr Charlotte Pennington is a Senior Lecturer and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy at Aston University.

Dr Madeleine Pownall is an Associate Professor and Teaching Excellence Fellow at the University of Leeds.