tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/research-culture-17192/articlesResearch culture – The Conversation2018-04-09T20:05:37Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/944212018-04-09T20:05:37Z2018-04-09T20:05:37ZOur survey found ‘questionable research practices’ by ecologists and biologists – here’s what that means<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213332/original/file-20180405-189821-oqdb0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Negative results are still useful, and should not be hidden. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-old-dirty-school-blackboard-stains-1060705337?src=H_2XPJ_5Q3o7mSADUVReww-1-49">from www.shutterstock.com </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Cherry picking or hiding results, excluding data to meet statistical thresholds and presenting unexpected findings as though they were predicted all along – these are just some of the “questionable research practices” implicated in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/science-is-in-a-reproducibility-crisis-how-do-we-resolve-it-16998">replication crisis</a> psychology and medicine have faced over the last half a decade or so.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/science-is-in-a-reproducibility-crisis-how-do-we-resolve-it-16998">Science is in a reproducibility crisis – how do we resolve it?</a>
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<p>We recently surveyed more than 800 ecologists and evolutionary biologists and found high rates of many of these practices. We believe this to be first documentation of these behaviours in these fields of science.</p>
<p>Our pre-print <a href="https://osf.io/7qbfv/">results</a> have certain shock value, and their release attracted a lot of attention on social media.</p>
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<li><p>64% of surveyed researchers reported they had <em>at least once</em> failed to report results because they were not statistically significant (cherry picking)</p></li>
<li><p>42% had collected more data after inspecting whether results were statistically significant (a form of “<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-edit-science-part-2-significance-testing-p-hacking-and-peer-review-74547">p hacking</a>”)</p></li>
<li><p>51% reported an unexpected finding as though it had been hypothesised from the start (known as “HARKing”, or Hypothesising After Results are Known).</p></li>
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<p>Although these results are very similar to those that have been found in <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/questionable-research-practices-surprisingly-common.html">psychology</a>, reactions suggest that they are surprising – at least to some ecology and evolution researchers. </p>
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<p>There are many possible interpretations of our results. We expect there will also be many misconceptions about them and unjustified extrapolations. We talk though some of these below. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-edit-science-part-2-significance-testing-p-hacking-and-peer-review-74547">How we edit science part 2: significance testing, p-hacking and peer review</a>
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<h2>It’s fraud!</h2>
<p>It’s not fraud. Scientific fraud involves fabricating data and carries <a href="https://theconversation.com/research-fraud-the-temptation-to-lie-and-the-challenges-of-regulation-58161">heavy criminal penalties</a>. The questionable research practices we focus on are by definition questionable: they sit in a grey area between acceptable practices and scientific misconduct.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213342/original/file-20180405-189827-g9zda0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213342/original/file-20180405-189827-g9zda0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213342/original/file-20180405-189827-g9zda0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213342/original/file-20180405-189827-g9zda0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213342/original/file-20180405-189827-g9zda0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213342/original/file-20180405-189827-g9zda0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213342/original/file-20180405-189827-g9zda0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Not crazy. Not kooky. Scientists are just humans.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/crazy-chemistry-professor-injecting-lab-mouse-1017085096?src=52qpgUr9QmdeiZiAUN7-eA-3-51">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>We did ask one question about fabricating data and the answer to that offered further evidence that it is very rare, <a href="https://theconversation.com/clearing-the-air-why-more-retractions-are-good-for-science-6008">consistent with findings from other fields</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/research-fraud-the-temptation-to-lie-and-the-challenges-of-regulation-58161">Research fraud: the temptation to lie – and the challenges of regulation</a>
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<h2>Scientists lack integrity and we shouldn’t trust them</h2>
<p>There are a few reasons why this should not be the take home message of our paper. </p>
<p>First, reactions to our results so far suggest an engaged, mature scientific community, ready to acknowledge and address these problems. </p>
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<p>If anything, this sort of engagement should increase our trust in these scientists and their commitment to research integrity.</p>
<p>Second, the results tell us much more about <a href="https://theconversation.com/publish-or-perish-culture-encourages-scientists-to-cut-corners-47692">structured incentives and institutions</a> than they tell us about individuals and their personal integrity. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/publish-or-perish-culture-encourages-scientists-to-cut-corners-47692">Publish or perish culture encourages scientists to cut corners</a>
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<p>For example, these results tell us about the institution of scientific publishing, where negative (non statistically significant results) are all but banished from most journals in most fields of science, and where replication studies are virtually never published because of relentless focus on novel, “ground breaking” results. </p>
<p>The survey results tells us about scientific funding, again where “<a href="https://theconversation.com/novelty-in-science-real-necessity-or-distracting-obsession-84032">novel</a>” (meaning positive, significant) findings are valued more than careful, cautious procedures and replication. They also tell us about universities, about the hiring and promotion practices within academic science that focus on publication metrics and overvalue quantity at the expense of quality. </p>
<p>So what do they mean, these questionable research practices admitted by the scientists in our survey? We think they’re best understood as the inevitable outcome of publication bias, funding protocols and an ever increasing pressure to publish.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/novelty-in-science-real-necessity-or-distracting-obsession-84032">Novelty in science – real necessity or distracting obsession?</a>
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<h2>We can’t base important decisions on current scientific evidence</h2>
<p>There’s a risk our results will feed into a view that our science is not policy ready. In many areas, such as health and the environment, this could be very damaging, even disastrous. </p>
<p>One reason it’s unwarranted is that climate science is a model based science, and there have been many independent replications of these models. Similarly with immunisation trials. </p>
<p>We know that any criticism of scientific practice runs a risk in the context of <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-are-you-calling-anti-science-how-science-serves-social-and-political-agendas-74755">anti-science sentiment</a>, but such criticism is fundamental to the success of science. </p>
<p>Remaining open to criticism is science’s most powerful self-correction mechanism, and ultimately what makes the scientific evidence base trustworthy.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213528/original/file-20180406-125184-lskp91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213528/original/file-20180406-125184-lskp91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213528/original/file-20180406-125184-lskp91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213528/original/file-20180406-125184-lskp91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213528/original/file-20180406-125184-lskp91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213528/original/file-20180406-125184-lskp91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213528/original/file-20180406-125184-lskp91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Transparency can build trust in science and scientists.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/story-psychologists-office-778256944?src=WvTBg66nmYGI5c9uW4gkaA-7-94">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<h2>Scientists are human and we need safeguards</h2>
<p>This is an interpretation we wholeheartedly endorse. Scientists are human and subject to the same suite of cognitive biases – like <a href="https://theconversation.com/confirmation-bias-a-psychological-phenomenon-that-helps-explain-why-pundits-got-it-wrong-68781">confirmation bias</a> – as the rest of us.</p>
<p>As we learn more about cognitive biases and how best to mitigate them in different circumstances, we need to feed this back into the norms of scientific practice. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/confirmation-bias-a-psychological-phenomenon-that-helps-explain-why-pundits-got-it-wrong-68781">Confirmation bias: A psychological phenomenon that helps explain why pundits got it wrong</a>
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<p>The same is true of our knowledge about how people function under different incentive structures and conditions. This is the basis of many of the initiatives designed to make science more open and transparent.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://cos.io/our-products/osf/">open science movement</a> is about developing <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-reproducibility-crisis-and-what-can-be-done-about-it-74198">initiatives</a> to protect against the influence of cognitive bias, and alter the incentive structures so that research using these questionable research practices stops being rewarded. </p>
<p>Some of these initiatives have been enthusiastically adopted by many scientists and journal editors. For example, many journals now publish analysis code and data along with their articles, and many have signed up to <a href="https://osf.io/9f6gx/">Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) guidelines</a>. </p>
<p>Other initiatives offer great promise too. For example, <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers-update/story/innovation-in-publishing/registered-reports-a-step-change-in-scientific-publishing">registered report</a> formats are now offered by some journals, mostly in psychology and medical fields. In a registered report, articles are reviewed on the strength of their underlying premise and approach, before data is collected. This removes the temptation to select only positive results or to apply different standards of rigour to negative results. In short, it thwarts publication bias.</p>
<p>We hope that by drawing attention to the prevalence of questionable research practices, our research will encourage support of these initiatives, and importantly, encourage institutions to support researchers in their own efforts to align their practice with their scientific values.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/94421/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Fidler receives funding from the ARC and IARPA. She is an ambassador for the Centre for Open Science.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Fraser has received funding from the Australian Research Council and National Environmental Research Program. She is an open science ambassador associated with the Centre for Open Science. </span></em></p>Questionable research practices are not fraud, and they’re not cause for panic. But they do give us some hints about how we can make science more robust.Fiona Fidler, Associate Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of MelbourneHannah Fraser, Postdoctoral Researcher , The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/768512017-05-30T01:49:32Z2017-05-30T01:49:32ZResearch transparency: 5 questions about open science answered<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171204/original/file-20170526-6389-1eepgnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Opening up data and materials helps with research transparency.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/book-wisdom-life-read-magic-background-515241850">REDPIXEL.PL via Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>What is “open science”?</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/ak6jr">Open science</a> is a set of practices designed to make scientific processes and results more transparent and accessible to people outside the research team. It includes making complete research materials, data and lab procedures freely available online to anyone. Many scientists are also proponents of <a href="https://sparcopen.org/open-access/">open access</a>, a parallel movement involving making research articles available to read without a subscription or access fee.</p>
<p><strong>Why are researchers interested in open science? What problems does it aim to address?</strong></p>
<p>Recent research finds that many published scientific findings might not be reliable. For example, researchers have reported being able to replicate <a href="https://elife.elifesciences.org/collections/reproducibility-project-cancer-biology">only 40 percent</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd3439-c1">or less</a> of <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v483/n7391/full/483531a.html">cancer biology results</a>, and a large-scale <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aac4716">attempt to replicate 100 recent psychology studies</a> successfully reproduced fewer than half of the original results.</p>
<p>This has come to be called a “<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-found-only-one-third-of-published-psychology-research-is-reliable-now-what-46596">reproducibility crisis</a>.” It’s pushed many scientists to look for ways to improve their research practices and increase study reliability. Practicing open science is one way to do so. When scientists share their underlying materials and data, other scientists can more easily evaluate and attempt to replicate them.</p>
<p>Also, open science can help speed scientific discovery. When scientists share their materials and data, others can use and analyze them in new ways, potentially leading to new discoveries. Some journals are specifically dedicated to publishing data sets for reuse (<a href="https://www.nature.com/sdata/">Scientific Data</a>; <a href="http://openpsychologydata.metajnl.com/">Journal of Open Psychology Data</a>). <a href="http://doi.org/10.5334/jopd.ac">A paper in the latter</a> has already been cited 17 times in under three years – nearly all these citations represent new discoveries, sometimes on topics unrelated to the original research.</p>
<p><strong>Wait – open science sounds just like the way I learned in school that science works. How can this be new?</strong></p>
<p>Under the status quo, science is shared through a single vehicle: Researchers publish journal articles summarizing their studies’ methods and results. The key word here is summary; to write a clear and succinct article, important details may be omitted. Journal articles are vetted via the peer review process, in which an editor and a few experts assess them for quality before publication. But – perhaps surprisingly – the primary data and materials underlying the article are almost never reviewed. </p>
<p>Historically, this made some sense because journal pages were limited, and storing and sharing materials and data were difficult. But with computers and the internet, it’s much easier to practice open science. It’s now feasible to store large quantities of information on personal computers, and <a href="https://www.nature.com/sdata/policies/repositories">online repositories to share study materials and data</a> are becoming more common. Recently, some journals have even begun to <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/data-availability">require</a> or <a href="https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki/5.%20Adoptions%20and%20Endorsements/">reward</a> <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002456">open science practices</a> like publicly posting materials and data.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171205/original/file-20170526-6402-1kb6dxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171205/original/file-20170526-6402-1kb6dxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171205/original/file-20170526-6402-1kb6dxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171205/original/file-20170526-6402-1kb6dxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171205/original/file-20170526-6402-1kb6dxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171205/original/file-20170526-6402-1kb6dxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171205/original/file-20170526-6402-1kb6dxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171205/original/file-20170526-6402-1kb6dxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Open science makes sharing data the default.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/client-passing-documentation-binders-his-partner-330663044">Bacho via Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>There are still some difficulties sharing extremely large data sets and physical materials (such as the specific liquid solutions a chemist might use), and some scientists might have good reasons to keep some information private (for instance, trade secrets or study participants’ personal information). But as time passes, more and more scientists will likely practice open science. And, in turn, science will improve.</p>
<p>Some do view the open science movement as a return to science’s core values. Most researchers over time have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/jer.2007.2.4.3">valued transparency</a> as a key ingredient in evaluating the truth of a claim. Now with technology’s help it is much easier to share everything.</p>
<p><strong>Why isn’t open science the default? What incentives work against open science practices?</strong></p>
<p>Two major forces work against adoption of open science practices: habits and reward structures. First, most established researchers have been practicing closed science for years, even decades, and changing these old habits requires some upfront time and effort. <a href="https://osf.io">Technology</a> is helping speed this process of adopting open habits, but behavioral change is hard. </p>
<p>Second, scientists, like other humans, tend to repeat behaviors that are rewarded and avoid those that are punished. Journal editors have tended to favor publishing papers that tell a tidy story with perfectly clear results. This has led researchers to craft their papers to be free from blemish, omitting “failed” studies that don’t clearly support their theories. But real data are often messy, so being fully transparent can open up researchers to critique. </p>
<p>Additionally, some researchers are afraid of being “scooped” – they worry someone will steal their idea and publish first. Or they fear that others will <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1516564">unfairly benefit</a> from using shared data or materials without putting in as much effort. </p>
<p>Taken together, some researchers worry they will be punished for their openness and are skeptical that the perceived increase in workload that comes with adopting open science habits is needed and worthwhile. We believe scientists must continue to <a href="https://osf.io/tvyxz/">develop systems</a> to <a href="http://www.ourdigitalmags.com/publication/?i=365522&article_id=2657445&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5#%7B%22issue_id%22:365522,%22view%22:%22articleBrowser%22,%22article_id%22:%222657445%22%7D">allay fears</a> and reward openness. </p>
<p><strong>I’m not a scientist; why should I care?</strong></p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171145/original/file-20170526-6380-6rryx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171145/original/file-20170526-6380-6rryx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171145/original/file-20170526-6380-6rryx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171145/original/file-20170526-6380-6rryx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171145/original/file-20170526-6380-6rryx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171145/original/file-20170526-6380-6rryx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171145/original/file-20170526-6380-6rryx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171145/original/file-20170526-6380-6rryx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Open access is the cousin to open science – the idea is that research should be freely available to all, not hidden behind paywalls.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/34070876@N08/3602393341">h_pampel</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Science benefits everyone. If you’re reading this article now on a computer, or have ever benefited from an antibiotic, or kicked a bad habit following a psychologist’s advice, then you are a consumer of science. Open science (and its cousin, open access) means that anyone – including teachers, policymakers, journalists and other nonscientists – can access and evaluate study information.</p>
<p>Considering automatic enrollment in a 401k at work or whether to have that elective screening procedure at the doctor? Want to ensure your tax dollars are spent on policies and programs that actually work? Access to high-quality research evidence matters to you. Open materials and open data facilitate reuse of scientific products, increasing the value of every tax dollar invested. Improving science’s reliability and speed benefits us all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76851/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Gilbert supports the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science and has published on replication efforts as part of the Open Science Collaboration. Along with Katherine Corker and Barbara Spellman, she has a chapter called "Open Science: What, why, how" forthcoming in the Stevens Handbook of Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katie Corker is on the executive board for the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (improvingpsych.org) and an ambassador for the Center for Open Science (cos.io). She is also an editorial board member for Scientific Data. All of these roles are pro bono.</span></em></p>Partly in response to the so-called ‘reproducibility crisis’ in science, researchers are embracing a set of practices that aim to make the whole endeavor more transparent, more reliable – and better.Elizabeth Gilbert, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South CarolinaKatie Corker, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Grand Valley State University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/662232016-09-29T17:23:42Z2016-09-29T17:23:42ZSouth Africa’s research output will be the biggest victim of student protests<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/139759/original/image-20160929-27042-dn2yk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The costs of student protests are far higher than imagined.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rogan Ward/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It will cost <a href="http://businesstech.co.za/news/government/138169/damage-to-sa-universities-hits-r600-million-and-counting/">around R600 million</a> to repair the damage caused by student protests across South Africa. That’s according to the country’s Minister of Higher Education and Training.</p>
<p>I’d suggest that this figure is merely the tip of the iceberg. The true cost of these protests is far higher. This cost can’t be measured in hard currency – yet. The higher education sector is being held to ransom and universities could lose the ability to do their core work: to teach and to conduct research. </p>
<p>This will have dire consequences for the entire country. South Africa is already struggling to produce enough skilled labour to meet demand. If universities cannot complete their academic years, as <a href="http://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/uct-stop-feeding-the-crocodile">some fear</a>, some students may miss out on the chance to graduate on time. They may choose to drop out entirely rather than trying to fund another expensive year of study. </p>
<p>Bright academics and postgraduates are likely to seek work or study opportunities elsewhere and major research projects could stumble as higher education’s crisis deepens.</p>
<h2>Damaging the research machine</h2>
<p>I have been an academic for more than 30 years. I have taught students; I still supervise postgraduates and I run a very successful <a href="http://www.fabinet.up.ac.za/">research programme</a>.</p>
<p>I have a deep understanding of the value of education and what it takes to establish a vibrant research culture at a university. I’m also keenly aware of what it takes to do internationally leading research in a developing world environment. I hold a <a href="http://www.nrf.ac.za/division/rcce/instruments/research-chairs">research chair</a> in Fungal Genomics. These chairs are designed to attract and retain research excellence at public universities. My research focuses on understanding tree pathogens, predominantly fungi which cause tree disease. I have trained almost 100 Masters and PhD students and currently supervise 10 post graduate students. </p>
<p>Such postgraduate students are the lifeblood of research programmes. The quality of research done in any country is hugely influenced by the quality of postgraduate students in these programmes. In recent years, more South African students in my research programme have chosen to stay in the country to carry out postgraduate research; they know that the quality of our research is internationally <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/best-universities-in-africa-2016">competitive and respected</a>.</p>
<p>These local students are joined by postgraduates from elsewhere in the world. They are also drawn by South Africa’s globally competitive research culture.</p>
<p>International postgraduates are an important asset in South Africa’s bid to produce more scientific PhD holders in the coming years. The country’s department of science and technology has identified a need to <a href="http://www.sagreenfund.org.za/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/10-Year-Innovation-Plan.pdf">graduate more PhD students</a>.</p>
<p>The department has set a very ambitious target for universities to graduate 3000 Science and Technology PhD graduates by 2018. South Africa doesn’t have the academics to train this many PhDs. But research intensive universities have been increasing their supervisory capacity by attracting post doctoral students from around the world to help train postgraduates.</p>
<p>Will these post doctoral students and foreign postgraduates still come to South Africa if protests persist? Will local students choose to stay and study towards their PhDs – or will they look for university systems that are not rocked by disruptions?</p>
<h2>The potential for brain drain</h2>
<p>Research is a global activity. Top researchers in South Africa annually host leading researchers from elsewhere in the world. These research leaders interact with academics and graduate students. In this way South African researchers are inspired by the best in the world and will then go on to produce internationally leading research. </p>
<p>But why would these international guests come to campuses racked by protests? As I write this a number of seminars by overseas visitors at my own institution have been postponed and in some cases cancelled. South Africa is poorer for this.</p>
<p>Much of the research I’m referring to here is focused on the country’s own, often unique problems. If this research machine is compromised South Africa will have to “import” – at a significant cost – researchers from other countries to solve its problems.</p>
<p>Local academics, too, are unsettled by what’s happening. Many of my colleagues are very concerned about their futures. Some have told me they are looking actively for positions elsewhere. Young academics who’ve grown up and trained in South Africa could well look for opportunities elsewhere and, given the quality of education they’ve received, they will probably succeed.</p>
<h2>Research programmes do not develop overnight</h2>
<p>Much has <a href="http://www.aau.edu/research/article.aspx?id=15486">been written</a> about the <a href="http://www.dsm.com/corporate/science/science-can-change-the-world.html">value of research</a>. For those who remained unconvinced, it’s useful to think of research as the equivalent of an insurance policy. In doing research you insure that a country and its people are able to understand and deal with future challenges.</p>
<p>A research programme is not something that appears overnight. It takes years to develop, nurture and grow. It often involves the life time endeavour of the researchers concerned. Running a research programme involves a commitment that is essentially 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year. A research programme cannot be switched off for a day, week or a month and then restarted where you left off.</p>
<p>Any breaks mean that you have to restart many activities, often from scratch. This results in delays in delivery and this is very problematic as research is most often done using grant or industrial funding. Granting agencies expect annual reports and that one delivers on what was promised. Industry funding often requires quarterly reporting and funding can be cut if the research outputs are not achieved.</p>
<p>The current student protests are already having a negative impact on research across South Africa. Some universities are suggesting that the academic year will have to be extended into 2017. If campuses are closed and post graduate students and lecturing staff told to go home, the cost to the research machine is incalculable – certainly far more than R600 million.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66223/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brenda Wingfield receives funding from industry and government granting agencies to support her research. She is the DST-NRF SARChI research chair in Fungal Genomics.</span></em></p>There is a very real risk that South Africa’s major research projects will stumble and the whole research machine will be shut down by ongoing student protests.Brenda Wingfield, Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and Professor of Genetics, University of PretoriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/490572015-10-28T04:24:45Z2015-10-28T04:24:45ZHow Africa is tackling ‘next generation’ fears in academia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99803/original/image-20151027-5007-1cyk7sr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Africa's future academics must be found, developed, nurtured and retained.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Foundation essay: Our foundation essays are longer than usual and take a wider look at key issues affecting society.</em></p>
<p>There is <a href="http://www.foundation-partnership.org/pubs/pdf/tettey_deficits.pdf">anxiety</a> in many quarters about a shortage of academics in Africa’s universities. These worries have led to a spate of programs to identify, develop and retain a “next generation” of scholars for the continent. Many of these initiatives are being driven by international agencies. But their success actually depends on local commitments by governments, institutions and individual academics.</p>
<p>To understand efforts to build a “next generation” it is important to first examine why Africa’s universities are facing this problem. </p>
<h2>What’s holding Africa back?</h2>
<p>Despite their inevitable differences, African universities have several <a href="http://summit.trustafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Concept-paper-for-higher-education-summit.pdf">shared challenges</a>. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>limited government funding;</p></li>
<li><p>a rapid growth in undergraduate enrolments;</p></li>
<li><p>low postgraduate enrolments and graduation rates;</p></li>
<li><p>a general shortage of academic staff, and particularly those who hold PhDs; and</p></li>
<li><p>relatively limited production of research.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Africa’s <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20081214092057738">brain drain</a> and limited research output is rooted in what Beninese philosopher Paulin Hountondji calls <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/524790?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">“extroversion”</a>. This describes the dependence of African scholars on the intellectual resources of the global north. It is a phenomenon that originated in the colonial era and persists today.</p>
<p>The continent is seen as a source of empirical data and a site for the application of research findings rather than for the apex of academic work – theory-building. African academics also <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/jul/14/academics-concerned-over-exploitative-global-research-partnerships">experience</a> imbalances and exploitation in international partnerships. </p>
<p>Africa has many intellectuals and rich traditions of indigenous knowledge. Despite this, the continent has made a limited impact on global theory or research. This is consistent with global trends. Theory from the global south is <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/academic-professional/sociology/Southern-Theory-Raewyn-Connell-9781741753578">widely ignored</a> by the global north.</p>
<p>Research – as measured by criteria set by academic institutions and publishers in the global North – is not a high priority in African universities. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa. The region’s share of global research output amounted to <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=2014100213122987">just 0.72%</a> in 2012. And most of it emanated from South Africa. </p>
<h2>Turning the tide – slowly</h2>
<p>Some work is being done in different areas to improve the situation. </p>
<p>Overseas scholarship <a href="https://www.acu.ac.uk/focus-areas/early-careers/foundations-for-the-future">programs</a> have helped to increase the number of African doctoral graduates. The problem comes once they return to the continent. Many PhD graduates from these programs are overloaded with teaching and administration by older colleagues who resent their success. In many cases their universities don’t have institutional research cultures or decent physical infrastructure. These frustrations can drive bright young academics out of the space entirely.</p>
<p>In terms of research and collaboration, respect for higher education is growing among international agencies and African <a href="http://www.aau.org/page/psd-background">governments</a>. Researchers from the global North have realised that they need strong research partners in viable African universities. These partnerships help to attract international funding and encourage the best possible research about problems that affect both the world and the continent. </p>
<p>Several foundations have provided extensive funding for “next generation” programs in Africa. The Association of Commonwealth Universities recently introduced an innovative blended learning program called STARS to <a href="https://www.acu.ac.uk/focus-areas/early-careers/structured-training-for-african-researchers/">support</a> early career researchers. </p>
<p>STARS is being piloted at universities in, among others, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa. It will be made available across the developing world through a creative commons licence by late 2016. </p>
<p>The topics are the standard fare of researcher development programs: how to write journal articles or grant proposals, or manage research projects. The difference is that each module is authored and presented by a researcher from an African institution. The material draws on issues and examples relevant to the continent.</p>
<p>Another boost for research was the formation in March 2015 of the African Research Universities Alliance. It <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20150310185922166">aims</a> to “build African research excellence as a ‘vital precondition’ for the continent to develop and exert control over its future”. Its 15 members include universities from Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa.</p>
<h2>South Africa’s story</h2>
<p>South Africa’s quest for a “next generation” has a slightly different dynamic. It needs young academics who can compete internationally – and who are representative of all the country’s population groups. This comes after decades of racial exclusion and inequality entrenched by the apartheid government. </p>
<p>It won’t be a quick process: 48% of all permanent academics and 70% of professors <a href="http://www.heda.co.za/indicatordashboard/default.aspx">are white</a>. That’s a sharp contrast with the 91% of the population and 80% of public higher education students who are black – African, Coloured and Indian. </p>
<p>The South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has created 125 new, permanent lectureships for mainly black “potential academics” through its <a href="http://www.dhet.gov.za/ssauf/home.html">New Generation of Academics Program</a>. These scholars will be able to study for their masters or doctoral degrees while being fully paid. They will also be paired with mentors, given funding to attend conferences and must participate in researcher development initiatives.</p>
<p>The department is also spending millions on Research Development Grants
which are given to all universities to build the research capacity of their academic staff. The highest allocations are being made to some historically disadvantaged institutions with very poor research profiles. </p>
<p>However, many of these institutions are facing a conundrum. They have the money to build their research capacity but lack the research, management and supervisory capacity to spend it appropriately. For this reason universities with strong research traditions are required to collaborate with others that are less research productive.</p>
<p>The initiatives which DHET <a href="http://www.dhet.gov.za/Policy%20and%20Development%20Support/Revised%20Criteria%20for%20the%20use%20and%20management%20of%20RDG%20022014.pdf">suggests</a> are similar to those which my own university, the University of Cape Town (UCT), has offered since 2003 in its Emerging Researcher Program. The program has used funding from the university, government and international <a href="http://www.chec.ac.za/files/CHEC%20Carnegie%20Policy%20Brief%20web.pdf">foundations</a> to provide varying levels of support to more than <a href="http://www.researchoffice.uct.ac.za/research_development/erp/overview/">600 academics</a> to date. </p>
<p>The program offers mentoring, seminars, writing workshops and small, targeted research grants. It uses retired and current senior academics. It claims some credit for the fact that between 2003 and 2014 publication output per UCT academic increased by nearly 80% and weighted research output, which includes masters and doctoral graduations, increased by 55%. In 2003 only 40% of UCT had PhDs. By 2014 the proportion had reached 67%, the highest in the country while the <a href="http://www.heda.co.za/indicatordashboard/default.aspx">national average</a> was 39%. </p>
<h2>Money isn’t all that counts</h2>
<p>All these initiatives suggest that universities in Africa will not crack the “next generation” problem without substantial funding. While the importance of funding should not be underestimated, it will not bring about long-lasting change without changes in institutional and individual mindsets. </p>
<p>Senior academics must realise that the future of academia might depend on their support for young academics who might not share their cultural backgrounds. Some of the newcomers might be better qualified than their seniors – and so present a threat. Others will be so inexperienced they might be dismissed as a potential waste of time.</p>
<p>Young academics <a href="https://www.carnegie.org/publications/weaving-success-voices-of-change-in-african-higher-education/">need</a> to take responsibility for their own development, and use the opportunities provided by centralised and faculty programs to engage with other early career researchers and form their own support networks and lobby groups. </p>
<p>Institutions need to be actively involved in the shaping of proposals to ensure that international programs are in tune with local needs and conditions. The shortage of “next generation” academics is a long-standing problem. It won’t disappear without very concerted efforts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49057/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mignonne Breier works for the University of Cape Town and manages the researcher development programmes located in the UCT Research Office. These include the Emerging Researcher and STARS programmes mentioned in this article.
She receives National Research Foundation Incentive Funding for Rated Researchers.</span></em></p>Africa needs to develop a new generation of academics to drive the continent’s teaching, learning, research and critical thinking into the future.Mignonne Breier, Research Development Manager, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/418912015-06-30T06:30:36Z2015-06-30T06:30:36ZDigging deeper holes: 20 years as an archaeologist in Cyprus<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82642/original/image-20150522-1004-1fho5sf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">For 20 years archaeologists from the university have been working in Cyprus.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos excavation project.</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the first shovelful of dirt was moved by Australian archaeologists in Paphos, Cyprus in May 1995, few of us thought that we would still be working on the site 20 years later. </p>
<p>The nature of archaeological excavation can be slow and painstaking. But even then, long-term projects remain relatively uncommon. So what are the pros and cons of long-term research instead of smaller projects based around grant funding?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82142/original/image-20150519-25403-1v60lba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82142/original/image-20150519-25403-1v60lba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=205&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82142/original/image-20150519-25403-1v60lba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=205&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82142/original/image-20150519-25403-1v60lba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=205&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82142/original/image-20150519-25403-1v60lba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=258&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82142/original/image-20150519-25403-1v60lba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=258&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82142/original/image-20150519-25403-1v60lba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=258&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The ancient theatre of Nea Paphos, Cyprus.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The University of Sydney began excavating at <a href="http://www.paphostheatre.com/">Paphos</a> in 1995 at the initiative of Emeritus Professor Richard Green. Like all foreign archaeological missions working in Cyprus, the work is conducted under the auspices of the <a href="http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/da/da.nsf/DMLindex_en/DMLindex_en">Department of Antiquities for the Republic of Cyprus</a>. The team has excavated for five to six weeks annually at various times of the year, with additional study seasons and finds recording work done by individual scholars and researchers. </p>
<p>The project was initially funded by Australian Research Council grants. Today the excavations run by myself and Dr Smadar Gabrieli are largely self-financed through student contributions, and an <a href="https://theconversation.com/down-and-dirty-what-volunteers-bring-to-archaeological-digs-30956">active volunteer program</a>. This enables members of the public to work on the project alongside the professional archaeological team. We are also supported by the <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/arts/aaia/">Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens</a> and the <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/museums/research/paphos-theatre.shtml">Nicholson Museum</a> at the University of Sydney.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82145/original/image-20150519-25400-1fm0jan.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82145/original/image-20150519-25400-1fm0jan.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82145/original/image-20150519-25400-1fm0jan.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82145/original/image-20150519-25400-1fm0jan.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82145/original/image-20150519-25400-1fm0jan.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82145/original/image-20150519-25400-1fm0jan.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82145/original/image-20150519-25400-1fm0jan.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Excavating on site in 2007.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The ancient town of <a href="http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/da/da.nsf/All/59FFC9310818070EC225719B003A2EB8?OpenDocument">Nea Paphos</a> was the capital of Cyprus for more than six centuries in the Hellenistic and Roman periods of the <a href="http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus/history.html">island’s history</a>; its important geo-political positioning on ancient maritime trading routes made the emporium city wealthy for centuries. </p>
<p>Devastated by a series of earthquakes in late antiquity, and again in the Middle Ages, the town’s population dwindled and it became a sleepy fishing village – until the 1970s and a modern tourist boom. This lack of modern development has meant that much of the archaeology of ancient Paphos has survived in relatively good condition. </p>
<p>This was especially due to the foresight by Cypriot authorities in the 1960s to leave a large proportion of the town as an archaeological park, now listed as a <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/79">UNESCO World Heritage site</a>.</p>
<h2>The ancient theatre of Paphos</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82146/original/image-20150519-25428-117fl8h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82146/original/image-20150519-25428-117fl8h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82146/original/image-20150519-25428-117fl8h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82146/original/image-20150519-25428-117fl8h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82146/original/image-20150519-25428-117fl8h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82146/original/image-20150519-25428-117fl8h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82146/original/image-20150519-25428-117fl8h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Tombs of the Kings at Paphos. The World Heritage listing recognises the surviving ancient architecture and Roman mosaics at the site.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over the period of excavating at the area of the north-western corner of the ancient city, the Australian team has revealed the architectural remains of a theatre – with a capacity to hold more than 8,500 spectators at its peak in the 2nd century AD. </p>
<p>Careful stratigraphic excavation, detailed architectural study, and chronological investigation of ceramics and other finds, now give us a clear picture of a building constructed at the very foundation of the town in the late 4th century BCE. It was used as a venue for performance and entertainment for more than six and a half centuries. </p>
<p>The theatre underwent at least five phases of reconstruction and alteration before its eventual destruction in the earthquakes around 365 AD that destroyed the south coast of the island. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82143/original/image-20150519-25437-1izrwjc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82143/original/image-20150519-25437-1izrwjc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82143/original/image-20150519-25437-1izrwjc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82143/original/image-20150519-25437-1izrwjc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82143/original/image-20150519-25437-1izrwjc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82143/original/image-20150519-25437-1izrwjc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82143/original/image-20150519-25437-1izrwjc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aerial view of the cavea and orchestra of the theatre, along with the remains of the Hellenistic so-called ‘Charion stairs’ (tunnel) running underneath the ancient orchestra.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The fact that the theatre was one of the first public buildings in the city demonstrates the important role of the dramatic arts in creating the new cultural <em>koine</em> (common identity) of the Hellenistic world. This is in the wake of Alexander the Great’s conquests: an aspiration to adopt Greek cultural practices. </p>
<p>The study of each subsequent Hellenistic and Roman phase has revealed significant new information on architectural practices and the way communities engaged with performance. The archaeology of Nea Paphos provides an excellent case study for the history of urban town planning, performance history and public infrastructure building.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82148/original/image-20150519-25412-1iupy4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82148/original/image-20150519-25412-1iupy4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82148/original/image-20150519-25412-1iupy4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82148/original/image-20150519-25412-1iupy4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82148/original/image-20150519-25412-1iupy4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82148/original/image-20150519-25412-1iupy4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82148/original/image-20150519-25412-1iupy4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fragment of a marble Imperial statue that would have adorned the stage building during the middle-2nd century AD. A surviving marble dedicatory inscription of this era acknowledges the Roman emperors Antonius Pius and Marcus Aurelius for supporting the theatre’s renovations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The changing nature of archaeological investigation</h2>
<p>All academic disciplines change over two decades, but archaeology has undergone a revolution in the time since we began digging. The first seasons of excavations took place before even digital photography was available. Today, digital recording and modern surveying techniques utilising GPR, GPS and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWetHAvfrDI">3D recording</a> are regular components of our investigations. </p>
<p>This provides a challenge to the archiving of our research and the publication of materials, dealing with both analogue and digital files. Technological and methodological changes have brought some exciting new approaches to the way we think of the Classical past.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82152/original/image-20150519-25400-egzr6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82152/original/image-20150519-25400-egzr6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82152/original/image-20150519-25400-egzr6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82152/original/image-20150519-25400-egzr6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82152/original/image-20150519-25400-egzr6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82152/original/image-20150519-25400-egzr6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82152/original/image-20150519-25400-egzr6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hypothetical CAD reconstruction of the Roman era stage of the Paphos theatre created by architect Geoff Stennett.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although the pressures of funding and publication favours shorter-term work, long-term fieldwork projects do have another advantage. They allow the types of questions asked to evolve, and new evidence creates a deeper knowledge of the site each season. </p>
<p>As we continue to work around the ancient theatre in recent years, we have revealed a <a href="http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/da/da.nsf/All/7494891FCBBCA492422578B6004704D5/$file/2012engl.pdf">Roman nymphaeum</a> (water fountain) and Roman road. As a result, our investigative focus has changed from the theatre itself to the urban context of the theatre’s precinct: the location of ancient gates, the nature of street colonnades and the way the Roman city was laid out for pedestrian and animal-drawn traffic. </p>
<p>None of these types of questions would have been possible several years ago, before we understood the chronological framework of the development of the theatre.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82162/original/image-20150519-25428-15buobr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82162/original/image-20150519-25428-15buobr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82162/original/image-20150519-25428-15buobr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82162/original/image-20150519-25428-15buobr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82162/original/image-20150519-25428-15buobr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82162/original/image-20150519-25428-15buobr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82162/original/image-20150519-25428-15buobr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">3rd century AD pavers of a Roman road in front of the nymphaeum build near the theatre.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A long-term project can create a mass of data (excavated finds, in our case) requiring study and publication. So it can be a struggle to keep up. But it also enables far greater qualitative analysis and far subtler examination of particular questions. The key is a good team of researchers committed to the project.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82153/original/image-20150519-25400-1vp5x56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82153/original/image-20150519-25400-1vp5x56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82153/original/image-20150519-25400-1vp5x56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82153/original/image-20150519-25400-1vp5x56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82153/original/image-20150519-25400-1vp5x56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82153/original/image-20150519-25400-1vp5x56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82153/original/image-20150519-25400-1vp5x56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sorting of ceramic finds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Our second home</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82141/original/image-20150519-25422-1w2xms1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82141/original/image-20150519-25422-1w2xms1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82141/original/image-20150519-25422-1w2xms1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82141/original/image-20150519-25422-1w2xms1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82141/original/image-20150519-25422-1w2xms1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82141/original/image-20150519-25422-1w2xms1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82141/original/image-20150519-25422-1w2xms1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82141/original/image-20150519-25422-1w2xms1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Excavating at the site of the ancient theatre of Paphos in 2010.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of the by-products of field projects working in the same area over a prolonged period of time is the realisation that the team makes an enduring contribution to the local community. We are always very conscious that we are making a significant injection to the local economy each season. </p>
<p>We have attempted to contribute to local cultural life by participating (where appropriate) in local community events and hosting artistic exhibitions, talks and public guided tours of the site while we work. </p>
<p>In 2017 Paphos will serve as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pafos2017">European Cultural Capital</a> and the ruins of the ancient theatre will be showcased.</p>
<p>Over the years we have built up a support network of friends, colleagues and supporters amongst the local community. Although Paphos is now largely a tourist town that is used to visitors coming and going, there is core support from the local community. Over the years, their attitudes have changed from bewilderment (as to why Australians would travel around the globe to study their history) to pride that we would make the commitment and effort in recovering “their” story. </p>
<p>It is an honour to have become part of their community.</p>
<h2>The future of the past</h2>
<p>A team of archaeologists, students and volunteers will excavate at the site next in <a href="http://www.paphostheatre.com/2016-season.html">Easter 2016</a>. The Australian excavations at Paphos will continue into the future while ever there is funding and willingness by our Cypriot collaborators and colleagues to have us work there. </p>
<p>We, of course, have future publications to add to the <a href="http://www.paphostheatre.com/publications.html">project’s library</a>. But as someone who was there as a student on the very first season - and now working as a co-director – I believe that long-lifespan those fieldwork projects enable investigators to ask intergenerational questions, and can provide a far more holistic understanding of the nuanced evidence uncovered by prolonged excavation and study.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82144/original/image-20150519-25432-5mtshm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82144/original/image-20150519-25432-5mtshm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82144/original/image-20150519-25432-5mtshm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82144/original/image-20150519-25432-5mtshm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82144/original/image-20150519-25432-5mtshm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82144/original/image-20150519-25432-5mtshm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82144/original/image-20150519-25432-5mtshm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sunrise on site.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Sydney Paphos archaeological project</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/41891/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Craig Barker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One of the by-products of field projects working in the same area over a prolonged period of time is the realisation that the team makes an enduring contribution to the local community.Craig Barker, Education Manager, Sydney University Museums, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.