This is a story about an elf in the holiday season
helping all researchers to see rhyme and reason
in why it is important to do quality science
and work towards building a worldwide researcher alliance.
Follow the adventures in the next 24 days
to learn more about doing research in sustainable & reproducible ways.

More info:

Read about reproducible research with the Turing Way.

As the elf was on a walk,
it saw a mad researcher talk
to their labmate with such a tone
that was mean down to the bone.

With a little elf magic spell,
the mad researcher got well.
Soon everyone was kind,
and still got to speak their mind.

Team science became the norm
and collaborations got in good form.

More info:

Want to do team science?
Check out the Guide for Collaboration from The Turing Way

"This result is not exciting!,
It will never go into writing."
Heard the elf quite a lot
and it wondered deep in thought.
"But what is exciting and is there a need?
Or is this just about research prestige and greed?"

More info:

Publish “non-exciting” results via preregistration.

We need to focus on rigor!
The elf exclaimed with such vigor.
Excitement is not needed
But Quality Management should be heeded.

The elf set off on a mission
To change researchers' positions
To value quality over hype
For tiny p-values and similar tripe.

More info:

Learn about p-hacking with Felix Schönbrodt’s p-hacker app.

P-values? What the f***?
The elf was dumbstruck.
Made up by statisticians from a time before.
It's often misused as an "excitement score."

More info:

Read this guide on misinterpretation of p-values, statistical tests, confidence intervals and power to learn more about what the elf learns about here.

With just a subtle wink,
the elf removed this weird kink
Of researchers for this little p***
and soon they were free.
Research focused on relevant effects instead
and the satisfied elf nodded its green-capped head.

More info:

Learn more in this article on p-values and effect sizes in transplant research.

Data was always kept in an ivory tower
with code and other outputs under the same power.

This caused the elf to be very confused
because wasn't building on each other's (publicly-funded) work is how science should be used?

More info:

Check out the UNESCO recommendation on Open Science!

No time to spare!
We need a culture change to share!

Prepare your research outputs today
To make sure your science is here to stay.
Don't drop the ball
and give the gift of open access to all!

More info:

Open Science: Steps Toward Equitable Access.
Read this text that explains it in the context of Microbiology.

Amazing! Stupendous! The data is shared!
“What about the metadata? Has that been prepared?”
"Metadata? What's that?" asked the elf full of wonder
To the librarians, who can help prevent a data upload blunder.
“It’s info on the data to describe where it is,
As well as who owns it and how to use it - DOIs, licenses and all that biz.”

More info:

Video explaining documentation of data and metadata.

Metadata, FAIR principles and so many other data practices to keep in mind.
Researchers must be invincibles, if they can apply all that combined.

But the truth is we all struggle making our work open and FAIR.
It's important we keep trying and make other researchers aware.

More info:

Read the Article: The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship.

The elf has an idea. We can make it easy to do!
Let’s make our data FAIR and publish metadata, too.

The data owners do this, but it takes time and care.
With some biscuits and winter magic the elf also pulls up a chair.

More info:

FAIR principles for reproducible research: Part 1 and Part 2.

“Wait a minute!” yells a data owner from the medical field.
“Not all data can be open. Sometimes certain data need to be concealed.”

The elf pondered deeply with concern in its eyes,
While navigating privacy, a tricky puzzle in disguise.

FAIR principles should be cherished, but privacy also held dear.
This is indeed a delicate balance and the solution is unclear.

More info:

FAIR principles for reproducible research: Part 1 and Part 2.

The elf starts to panic with no fix in sight,
But some data experts come along to help make things right.

“Calm down, data holders, with your worried constitutions.
Synthetic data, Access committees, Open Metadata, Closed data history, etc. - We can help find creative solutions.”

The elf and data holders took a hopeful stance.
Privacy can be preserved through this collaborative dance.

The realm of research is diverse and intertwined.
Privacy and FAIRness (with a little help) can be harmoniously aligned.

More info:

Article: The "A" of FAIR – As Open as Possible, as Closed as Necessary.

“My code is so bad!” said the researchers in shame.
“How can I better it and reclaim my good (coding) name?”

The elf made a plea to the coding community.
And many experts came to help build each other up in unity.

They hacked all together and improved their abilities
And discoursed on tech stacks without any hostilities.

More info:

Blog post on writing bad code as prerequisite of becoming a better coder: A Million Lines of Bad Code.

Versioning, Reproducibility, Automation, Code stability.
All of these topics ensure development tranquility.

The topics were mostly not understood by the elf
Since programming with no fingers is a challenge in itself.

But no need since the elf contributed in another way,
Not teaching, but bringing the right people together at the end of the day.

More info:

Check out these resources on:

• Version control for reproducible research
• Stabilizing your computing environment
• Automating your code

The researchers cheered with their code up to par,
“Hurray, hurray, my code deserves a gold star!”

“But my data on the other hand gives me night terrors!
Full of missing values, inconsistencies, and other errors.”

“Our lab is a mess with unorganized stocks.”
“And with no permanent staff to help is just bollocks."

It feels like if one organization hurdle is passed another appears.
How do we fix this and organize our careers?

More info:

Check out this guide on Data Organization in Spreadsheets.

For research, we need to start all the way at the beginnings
and not only consider publications as the research “winnings.”

All the steps in research have their worth
And the way we assess research should have a rebirth.

With a wave of a hand, the elf makes all steps equally cherished
And breaks the cycle of publish or be perished.

The researchers could then focus on previously less acknowledged work.
Even the ECRs can count it all as a career perk!

More info:

Check out the CoARA agreement on Reforming Research Assessment for suggestions on improved assessment of people working in research.

The elf is a part of many grassroots campaigns
But the support of governments and politicians still remains.

With a lot of elbow grease and magical elf charm,
It convinced them all that we must act now and sound the alarm.

All positions in science are equally vital
From Research Software Engineers, Data Stewards, and Technicians to ECRs, and PI’s regardless of title.

With moving science forward, we all have our place
In improving various aspects in the research space.

More info:

Chapters on Research infrastructure roles in The Turing Way book.

With so many different types of positions,
What else could we do to enhance the research team coalitions?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion can supercharge teams
Tackling challenges with a wide variety of idea streams.

Diversity in identity, opinion, and age
Can capture a wider perspective of the world stage.

Equity means everyone is heard and gets a chance
To make decisions and have equal access to finance.

Inclusion is making sure that all voices are heard,
And an environment of belonging and integration is conferred.

More info:

Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. Read this report from McKinsey.

Some leaders could care less about the diversity effect.
Not everyone can be the same, but all deserve respect.

So the elf with its wit and a quick flip of its hand
Helps stubborn leaders learn about DEI, which they previously didn’t understand.

When employees are happy due to these positive workplace traits
Benefits include more innovation, better team performance, and high retention rates.

More info:

More on valuing diversity in the Turing Way book and also this Forbes article about the benefits of DEI.

One day, the elf delved into the world of scholarly tomes,
Intrigued by the labyrinth of academic publishing zones.

With curiosity ablaze, it began to explore,
The intricate (and confusing) landscapes it hadn’t seen before.

Peer review a great concept to ensure sound scientific work
is clouded by biases, abuse, and inconsistent murk.

What about this impact factor obsession that somehow survived?
It’s a misleading number so poorly contrived.

This race for high impact is an endless grind,
Which leaves the quest for reproducibility far behind.

More info:

Check out this article about the problems with Peer Review and this blog post: Sick of Impact Factors

The elf conjured up platforms, open and bright,
Where ideas could flourish, basking in the light.

No more hiding behind a paywall's gate,
Knowledge freely flowing with respectful open debate.

"Preprints for all, a bold decree,
Breaking down barriers, setting ideas free.

DOI in hand, a digital mark,
Ensuring credit in the scholarly park."

More info:

To learn about preprints, check out this Foster online course.

The elf rallied the community, a force so grand,
Promoting transparency across the land.

No longer beholden to impact's harsh glare,
But fostering a culture where all voices could share.

More info:

Learn more about open science and culture change via this blogpost from the Center for Open Science.