Open Science Podcasts: 7 + 3 Tips for Your Ears

by Claudia Sittner

Podcasts are booming – not just these days, but in the time of the pandemic the format has gained a new appeal for many. And since this blog is all about Open Science and infrastructure service providers, we set out to explore the best podcasts on the topic.

So here are our podcast tips for anyone who is interested in Open Science or would like to take a closer look at the topic. At this point, a big thank you to our followers on Twitter, whose tips we have included in the following collection.

In it, we present 7 open science podcasts that are still being produced and 3 that have unfortunately already been discontinued, but are still interesting for open science beginners. Have fun listening!

1. Open Science Radio
   This podcast deals with the topic of Open Science in its many-sided and -layered aspects – from Open Access to Citizen Science and Open Data to public science and Open Education. The podcast aims to create a basic understanding, but above all to inform about current developments.

   Hosts: Matthias Fromm, Konrad Förstner
   Since: 2013
   Language: German, some in English

2. ORION Open Science Podcast
   From Data Sharing to Citizen Science and from Peer Review to professional development the episodes of ORION Open Science Podcast will explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of the current scientific system, and what Open Science practices can do to improve the way we do science.

   Given the momentum of the Open Science movement it makes sense that researchers of all levels want to understand the issues and the opportunities behind it. The principles of Open Science are about accessibility and collaboration in research, but this still leaves questions to be answered. Why has Open Science become part of the research landscape? How will it impact day-to-day scientific work? What new developments are available and how can they be used effectively?

   The podcasts’s motto: The best way to learn about something new is to simply talk to people who have knowledge and informed opinions on the topic.

   Hosts: Luiza Bengtsson, Emma Harris, Zoe Ingram
   Organisation: Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Helmholtz Association (MDC)
   Since: 2019
   Language: English

3. The Future is Open Science
   In this podcast people from the scientific community talk about how they promote Open Science in their daily work. The topic is examined from very different perspectives: Whether it’s with the big science policy glasses, when it comes to classifying different initiatives and developments, or with the subject-specific glasses, when the economic cultural change towards more research transparency is illuminated, or with the operational view of practitioners, how Open Science can be implemented concretely. The podcast delves into the depths of science communication in the digital age and gives tips and tricks on Open Science in practice.

   Host: Doreen Siegfried
   Organisation: ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics
   Language: German
   Since: 2020

4. The Road to Open Science
   The Road to Open Science Podcast functions as a guide on everything Open at Utrecht University and beyond. In the monthly podcast the hosts discuss the latest developments in the fields of Open Acces, Open Data/Software, public engagement and recognition and rewards. The hosts follow the path to adapting Open Science practices through the perspective of researchers from different disciplines. In each episode they talk to people within the academic community about their research, initiatives, or experiences in relation to open science.

   Hosts: Sanli Faez, Lieven Heeremans
   Organisation: Utrecht University, The Netherlands
   Language: English
   Since: 2017

5. Open Science Talk
   This podcast is pretty much «open anything» from Open Science, Open Access, Open Education, Open Data, Open Software …. The hosts invite guests to explain different topics or share with them some of their research practices and reflections related to Open Science.

   They try to cover a wide range of different topics within the Open Science spectrum, such as Open Access, Open Data, Open Research, Open Education, Citizen Science, Open Health… the list is long. They seek to cover the various branches of Open Science from different angles, and they also try to talk about recent events in the Open Science world.

   Their guests: librarians, professors, students, and PhD-candidates from all kinds of different fields, also publishers and administrative employees that work within science.

   Hosts: Per Pippin Aspaas, before: Erik Lieungh
   Organisation: University Library at UiT The Arctic University of Norway
   Language: English
   Since: 2018

6. ReproducibiliTea
   Serving mugs of ReproducibiliTea: The blends of this podcast include transparency, openness and robustness with a spoonful of science. The hosts reflect on their experiences trying to push for open and reproducible research. Their conversations with other early career researchers highlight challenges and opportunities to achieve changes in the scientific system.

   Hosts: Sophia Crüwell, Amy Orben, Sam Parsons
   Organisation: ReproducibiliTea Journal Club, 121 Clubs worldwide
   Language: English
   Since: 2019

7. Open Science Stories
   This podcast is the newcomer among our collection. Here, Open Science concepts are compactly packaged as stories and explained in 3-10 minutes. In each short episode, a different person has their say and tells an entertaining, emotional or even stirring story.

   Host: Heidi Seibold
   Language: English
   Since: 2021

Open-Science-Podcasts: production discontinued

In addition to the podcasts that are currently in production, we would also like to recommend some whose production has unfortunately already been discontinued. Nevertheless, the existing episodes are still available and worth listening to, especially for Open Science beginners:

1. Open Science in Action
   This interview podcast is about Open Science activities – mostly from Austria. People and institutions are visited who are involved in Open Science and/or who are doing it themselves. In 30-60 minutes, innovative and exciting activities around the opening of science are shown and the listeners are introduced to the different aspects of it. From Open Access in university libraries to Open Source at research institutes to open hackspaces and Citizen Science.

   Hosts: Stefan Kasberger, Marc Pietkiewicz
   Organisation: ÖH Universität Graz, Austria (Students´ Union of the University of Graz, Austria)
   Language: German
   Since: 2014, 10 episodes

2. Open Science
   In this series of podcasts the impact of opening up science is considered: allowing both the research community and the public a freely access to the results of scientific work. Individuals can be fully informed about medical or environmental research, students worldwide can get access to the latest work, and software agents can roam the vast scientific knowledge base seeking patterns and correlations that no human has observed. Ultimately, it may profoundly change the way science is done.

   Organisation: University of Oxford
   Language: English
   Since: 2012-2013, 23 episodes

3. Colper Science
   This interview podcast is also about Open Science and its methods. The podcast makers believe that it is possible for researchers to fully migrate into the universe of Open Science by using tools and methods that are already available. Unfortunately, however, most of these tools, methods and opportunities remain unknown to most of the research community. The aim of Colper Science is to make these tools known by sharing success stories around Open Science.

   Hosts: Kambiz Chizari, Ilyass Tabiai
   Language: English
   Since: 2017-2018, 26 episodes

Your Open Science podcast is not included?

These were our discoveries of Open Science podcasts. I’m sure there are more podcasts worth listening to in this field, especially internationally.

If you can think of any, we would be happy to receive link tips on Twitter and Facebook or by email to team (at) zbw-mediatalk.eu! We will be glad to add your podcast to our collection!

Read more

• Open Science Podcasts listed at PlayerFM
• Top 10 podcasts on software and open research
• Podcast list by David Lohner on Twitter
• Overview with science podcasts (German)
• About the podcast format and its suitability for science (German)
• The tone makes the science (German)
• wisspod: a “travel guide” through the world of science podcasts (German)
• The 20 Best Science Podcasts – Get Ready to Binge Listen!
• Science Podcasts

This text has been translated from German.