Open Science monitoring has become increasingly important as funders, institutions, governments, and communities seek to better understand how Open Science policies and practices are implemented and what impact they have. Yet despite growing activity worldwide, the monitoring landscape remains fragmented and difficult to navigate.
Within the Open Science Monitoring Initiative (OSMI), Working Group 2 (WG2) focuses on a foundational question: what Open Science monitoring initiatives already exist, and what do they monitor?
This blog post provides an update on WG2’s work so far, explains its role within OSMI, and invites the wider Open Science community to engage with and contribute to this effort.
The role of WG2 within OSMI
WG2’s mandate is to map the existing Open Science monitoring landscape and ensure OSMI’s alignment with related initiatives worldwide. The group aims to build a global overview of current Open Science monitoring initiatives, services, methods, and tools, while promoting synergies and avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort.
Guided by the OSMI Principles of Open Science Monitoring, WG2’s work emphasises transparency, inclusivity, and methodological clarity. Rather than defining what should be monitored, WG2 focuses on documenting what is currently being monitored, by whom, and how, creating a shared evidence base that can support future analysis, coordination, and policy-relevant insights.
WG2’s work complements that of WG1, which focuses on identifying who needs Open Science monitoring, what should be monitored, and why. WG2 maps what is currently being monitored and by whom. By bringing together these two perspectives — needs and existing practice — OSMI aims to build a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the global Open Science monitoring landscape, supporting informed decision-making and future planning.
How we approached the task
WG2’s work has progressed through a series of structured and deliberate steps, designed to ensure clarity, consistency, and inclusivity across the group’s efforts.
1. Defining what counts as an Open Science monitoring initiative
As a first step, WG2 agreed on a shared definition of what constitutes an Open Science monitoring initiative. This definition is aligned with the OSMI Open Science Monitoring Principles and was formally agreed upon by all OSMI Working Group co-chairs and the OSMI Coordination Committee, ensuring consistency across the initiative.
An Open Science monitoring initiative is defined as an initiative that:
- Publicly and regularly monitors and evaluates trends or impacts related to open science policies, mechanisms, interventions, and/or incentives;
- May use quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches;
- Monitors the degree of openness of scientific processes and outputs such as publications, software, or research data, and ideally also covers other pillars of Open Science (e.g. citizen science, economic or societal impact), across multiple stages of the research cycle.
This definition is based on text from the Call for Inputs: Global Consultation on the Draft Principles of Open Science Monitoring (UNESCO).
2. Community-led data collection
WG2 members were invited to contribute to Open Science monitoring initiatives they were already aware of. This approach ensured that early inputs reflected a diversity of regional, institutional, and professional perspectives, rather than relying on a single source or viewpoint.
3. Identifying existing lists of initiatives
To avoid duplication and build on existing efforts, WG2 identified and reviewed several established lists of Open Science monitoring initiatives maintained by different organisations and networks, including:
- The OSMI website list
- Hellenic Academic Libraries Consortium list
- OA Datenpraxis (DFG project)
- OpenAIRE Monitor / Dashboards
- OPENIT Dashboard
4. Consolidation and deduplication
Initiatives from these multiple sources were brought together into a single consolidated spreadsheet. Duplicate entries were identified and removed, and initiatives were harmonised into a common structure to allow consistent comparison and analysis.
5. Identifying and extracting key information
WG2 then identified the key types of information needed to meaningfully describe and compare monitoring initiatives. Working Group members collaboratively extracted this information for each initiative, covering aspects such as geographic scope, organisational leadership, Open Science pillars monitored, data sources, and monitoring approaches.
6. Preparing for revision and analysis
With the core list now established and populated, WG2 is preparing to move from collection into a revision and analysis phase. This next step will take place after a public review phase, during which the broader Open Science community will be invited to suggest corrections, additions, or missing initiatives before analysis begins.
What we have collected so far
To date, WG2 has identified 73 Open Science monitoring initiatives worldwide. For each initiative, we have compiled structured information covering its purpose, geographic scope, organisational leadership, operational status, and areas of Open Science monitored.
Where available, we have also documented the types of data used, the monitoring mechanisms applied, start dates, and intended use or policy implications. This structured approach allows us to move beyond simply listing initiatives and instead build a dataset that can support meaningful analysis of how Open Science monitoring is currently being implemented across contexts.
What comes next
WG2 is now entering a new phase of work:
- Consolidating the initial dataset
We are completing the structured collection of initiatives identified so far, ensuring that entries are harmonised and consistently documented. - Public review and community input
We are opening the dataset for community feedback. This phase supports quality assurance, transparency, and co-creation. Community members will be able to suggest corrections, provide additional details, and identify missing initiatives. - Analysis and synthesis
Following the review period, WG2 will begin analysing the dataset to identify patterns, geographic distribution, organisational trends, coverage across Open Science pillars, and potential gaps. - Future outputs
Planned outputs include summary reports, visualisations or dashboards, and potentially academic or policy-oriented publications reflecting the findings.
How you can contribute
We invite researchers, policymakers, infrastructure providers, funders, community initiatives and the broader Open Science community to help us strengthen this mapping effort. Community input will help ensure that the dataset reflects the diversity of Open Science monitoring efforts globally and supports more robust analysis in the next phase.
The public review period will remain open until 24 March 2026.
Through this Google Form, you may contribute in the following ways:
- Correction to an existing initiative
Flag inaccurate, outdated, or unclear information in the current list (e.g. geographic scope, organisation type, monitoring focus). Where possible, please include a source or link supporting the correction. - Additional information for an existing initiative
Add missing details to initiatives already listed, such as monitoring methods, data sources, operational status, or intended use. - Suggest a missing initiative
Propose Open Science monitoring initiatives that are not yet included in the dataset, along with a public link and a brief description explaining why they qualify as monitoring initiatives. - General comment
Share broader feedback, observations, or suggestions related to the dataset, its scope, or the public review process.
All submissions will be reviewed by WG2 before being incorporated into the dataset.
A collective effort
This work is being carried out by Working Group 2 as part of the Open Science Monitoring Initiative and reflects the collective contributions of many group members. WG2 is Co-chaired by Lamis Elkheir and Tereza Szybisty.
We look forward to continuing this work in collaboration with the wider Open Science community.