Meta Science

What is Meta Science?

Meta science, often referred to as the “science of science,” is the systematic study of scientific practices. It aims to improve the quality, transparency, and efficiency of research by examining how science is conducted, reported,interpreted and disseminated. Meta science seeks to address a plethora of issues such as reliability and integrity of scientific research, responsible assessment of scientific research and researchers, replicability and reproducibility of scientific findings as well as measuring the impact of science on society. The goal of this type of research is ultimately to foster more robust, impactful and trustworthy scientific research.

Our Focus Areas

1. Open Science

Open Science is at the heart of our meta science work, focusing on making research and data available to everyone. By removing barriers like paywalls, we can foster greater collaboration and drive innovation. Embracing Open Science can make research more transparent, efficient, and impactful, ultimately benefiting society as a whole.

In India, adopting Open Science could transform our research landscape, making it more competitive and relevant to real-world needs. Researchers, especially in publicly funded institutions, should share not just their findings but also their data, including negative results. This openness would encourage more dialogue between scientists and the public, ensuring that research addresses the needs of society rather than just the demands of high-impact journals.

The free flow of science can lead to a more transparent, collaborative, and inspiring research environment. Digital technologies have made it easier to share research widely, benefiting not just the scientific community but also industries and the public. However, Open Science hasn’t yet gained the widespread support it needs, particularly in India. It’s time for us to embrace these practices, with the necessary push from the system, to shift our research focus from publication metrics to real societal impact.

The Open Science team at the center is actively engaged in collaborations, surveys, workshops, and conferences to assess the integration of Open Science practices within India’s scientific research ecosystem. For further insights, explore our recent publications and reports.

Projects:

Open Science South Asia Network (OSSAN):

The OSSAN 2022 Conference in South Asia, organized by DST-CPR at IISc Bangalore, was the first international event dedicated to promoting the concept of open science among researchers in the region. The conference also sought to establish a network of like-minded individuals. To know more about OSSAN Conference 2022, please visit OSSAN Conference 2022

Funding: This initiative was funded by Code for Science & Society event grant.

Academic Publications:

Koley, M., Bharadwaj, J. (2024). Open Science and Science, Technology, and Innovation Ecosystem: Exploring from “Policies” to “Practices” Within India. In: Singh, K., Chongtham, N., Trikha, R., Bhardwaj, M., Kaur, S. (eds) Science, Technology and Innovation Ecosystem: An Indian and Global Perspective. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-2815-2_13

Koley, M. (2022). Analysis of Open Science Policy Recommendations Proposed in India’s 5th Science, Technology & Innovation Policy Draft. Journal of Science Policy & Governance, 21(2), 1-8. (Paper)

Chaube, P.; Koley, M (2023). Does South Asia need a regional dialogue on Open Science?. Science Diplomacy. Vol 6(4). Issue. (Paper)

Koley, M.; Lala, K. (2023). Limitations of the “Indian One Nation, One Subscription” Policy Proposal and a Way Forward. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science (https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006221146771).

Koley, M. (2022). Open Science in Drug Discovery: Addressing the Gaps in Traditional Model of Developing New Medicines. CSIR NScPR Science Diplomacy (2022). Vol 6. Perspective Article. (Paper)

Koley, M.; Lala, K. (2022). Changing dynamics of scholarly publication: a perspective towards open access publishing and the proposed one nation, one subscription policy of India. Scientometrics. (Paper)

Koley, M.; Lala, K. (2022). Are Journal Archiving and Embargo Policies Impeding the Success of India’s Open Access Policies? Learned Publishing. (Paper)

Koley M., Namdeo S.K., Bhattacharjee S., Affi N. A. (2022). Digital Technologies for Open and Equitable Sharing of Knowledge in India. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. (Paper)

Popular Articles:

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | Principal Scientific Adviser

https://dstcpriisc.org/iisc/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Open-Research-Data_Policy-Brief.pdf

Open access: A problem way beyond one nation one subscription

Unwinding the open data debate for rare diseases

India Can Have Its Own Open Access Digital Publishing Platform – The Wire Science

An era of open science

Open access is crucial for self-reliance in science – The Hindu

2. Responsible Research Assessment

There’s a revolution happening in how we evaluate research, moving away from traditional metrics like impact factors and citation counts. These conventional measures have long been the benchmarks of success, but they often miss the true value of scientific work—the quality, creativity, and real-world impact it brings. Responsible Research Assessment is about changing this narrative, pushing for a fairer, more transparent way of recognizing scientific contributions.

This shift is essential because impactful science isn’t just about numbers. It’s about the knowledge we generate, the problems we solve, and the positive changes we bring to society. The new approach encourages looking beyond where a paper is published or how often it’s cited, to consider how the research improves lives, advances understanding, and drives innovation. By embracing these values, we can foster a research culture that prioritizes meaningful work over chasing metrics.

The Reform of Research Assessment team is continuing the work we began with the SfDORA Community Grant project ‘Exploring the Current Practices in Research Assessment within Indian Academia‘, where we explored how research is evaluated by Indian funding agencies. Now, we’re broadening our focus to understand how research assessment is evolving globally. Our goal is to create a practical framework that helps implement these changes effectively. By learning from international experiences and best practices, we’re committed to helping shape a fairer and more impactful way of assessing research, both in India and around the world.

Projects:

a. “Exploring the Current Practices in Research Assessment within Indian Academia”

The project initiated a broader discussion on the frameworks used by key institutions within the Indian research ecosystem, examining their capacities, strengths, and gaps in existing practices. To achieve this, a series of workshops was organized with major stakeholders to explore and deliberate on the strengths and weaknesses of current practices. To read the report and outcomes of the project, click here.

To know more, visit the project webpage here.

Funding: This project was funded by DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment) under the Community Engagement Grant Program.

b. A Global Observatory of Responsible Research Assessment (AGORRA) project:

We are contributing to this global observatory and have received two years of funding to analyze research assessment practices within the Indian research ecosystem. To know more about AGORRA project, visit AGORRA

Academic Publications:

Suchiradipta, B.; Koley, M. & Bharadwaj, J. (2023). Workshop on Research Assessment Practices in Indian Funding Agencies. Journal of Science Policy & Governance. Vol 22, Issue 01. (Paper)

Suchiradipta, B. and Koley, M. (2022). Research assessment in India: What should stay, what could be better? DSTCPR, IISc. RESEARCH ASSESSMENT IN INDIA. (Paper)

Popular Articles:

Does the Way India Evaluates Its Research Doing Its Job?

3. Research Priority, Research Ethics & Integrity:

Research integrity and ethics are foundational to maintaining the credibility and reliability of scientific research. In India, challenges such as a high rate of retractions, instances of plagiarism, and other ethical violations have raised significant concerns about the quality and integrity of research. The pressure to “publish or perish” has exacerbated these issues, leading to practices that compromise the rigor and transparency of research.

Research priorities also play a pivotal role in shaping the ethical role and efficiency of the scientific research ecosystem. When the emphasis is placed more on quantity than quality, it can lead to misaligned priorities, such as overlooking localized issues in favor of global or international topics that are more likely to be published in prestigious journals. It is crucial to prioritize research that addresses real-world, locally relevant problems, fosters innovation, and adheres to ethical standards to elevate the integrity of science.

Globally, India’s research ecosystem has been flagged for integrity issues, underscoring the need for stronger ethical standards, better oversight, and a culture that prioritizes responsible research practices over mere publication metrics.

Projects:

a. Research priorities & Alignments with national needs:

India faces a significant gap between its health challenges and the focus of its research efforts. Our study (Priorities of health research in India: evidence of misalignment between research outputs and disease burden) reveals that the research priorities in health and biomedical sciences are often misaligned with the country’s disease burden. Using WHO data on Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) to measure disease impact, the study found that cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, which account for 23% of the burden, receive only 6% of research attention. In contrast, cancers contribute just 5% to the burden but dominate 25% of research publications.

This misalignment is influenced by factors like global market demands, the academic prestige of certain diseases, and funding opportunities in global health. The study suggests that these disparities might also result from weaknesses in India’s healthcare delivery, highlighting the need for research efforts that better address the nation’s most pressing health issues.

Read this article published in The Hindu: Which topics are India’s researchers publishing papers on? – The Hindu

b. Retraction Dashboard:

The project developed a beta “Retraction Dashboard” with a focus on Indian retractions, encouraging the Indian research community to report academic fraud. Utilizing the Retraction Watch data, the dashboard features data on retractions and instances of misconduct within Indian research, identified through community vigilance. Targeting Indian students, researchers, and policymakers, the initiative aimed to raise awareness of research best practices and fraud reporting through outreach activities, data visualization, and webinars.

The dashboard now enables analysis of retraction trends and assists institutions in monitoring retractions associated with their affiliations.

Here is the dashboard: https://retraction-dashboard.netlify.app

Funding: This project is funded by Open Scholarship Seed Awards by Open Research Funders Group. To know more, visit List of Awarded Proposals

Academic Publications:

Kumar, A., Koley, M., Yegros, A. et al. Priorities of health research in India: evidence of misalignment between research outputs and disease burden. Scientometrics 129, 2433–2450 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-024-04980-x

4. HEI rankings and their implications on scholarship

University rankings like Times Higher Education (THE) and QS often emphasize quantitative research metrics over the actual quality of education and research, which can distort the true value of academic institutions. This focus encourages universities to prioritize superficial indicators, leading to a misalignment of goals and potentially compromising the depth and integrity of academic work. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) while tailored to India, faces similar issues, with excessive emphasis on numbers rather than a holistic evaluation of educational quality.

We are currently researching the implications of these rankings on the research culture in India, examining how they influence institutional priorities and academic practices.

Publications:

NIRF parameters ill-designed & lead to absurd university ratings. Govt must order a review

What purposes do university rankings serve? | Explained