Opening Science

Short impact summary

Published in 2014 by Springer International Publishing, Opening Science explores the transformative effects of the internet on research and scholarly communication, particularly within computer science. The book shows sustained engagement through 12,669 downloads on SpringerLink and 200 Wikipedia mentions, signaling ongoing public and academic interest. Its 155 citations reflect a substantial scholarly footprint, while the inferred roles highlight balanced usage uptake and public visibility, placing it as a significant reference in discussions on open science and digital collaboration.

Full narrative

Opening Science was published in 2014 by Springer International Publishing and is hosted primarily on SpringerLink. This positioning within an established STEM-focused academic platform has facilitated access to over 12,600 downloads, indicating steady user interest. While recent download trend data is unavailable, the total downloads highlight consistent engagement by researchers, practitioners, and potentially students in the computer science community and adjacent disciplines. The book's thematic focus on open science and digital collaboration aligns well with its concept labeling under computer science.

The book’s citation count stands at 155 according to OpenAlex, demonstrating moderate scholarly uptake since publication. These citations suggest that the work serves as a recognized academic resource, contributing to ongoing research dialogues surrounding web technologies, open data, and collaborative scientific practices. However, the citation context information from scite shows 27 mentions without any supporting or contradicting citations, indicating the work is typically referenced for background or thematic framing rather than as a point of empirical evidence or contention.

Public visibility is notably supported by the event data, which records 200 events exclusively from Wikipedia. This singular source concentration implies the book has found a niche role in public knowledge repositories and outreach rather than broad media or social media attention. This engagement pattern aligns with the inferred role of “Public visibility signal,” which is marked at a strength of 0.8, emphasizing its influence in educational or informational contexts accessible to a wide audience.

The combined evidence from download counts, citation data, and event sourcing supports the categorization of Opening Science under the inferred roles “Usage-driven uptake” (strength 0.8) and “Scholarly uptake” (strength 0.75). Meanwhile, its role in the evidence profile is more modest (strength 0.4), reflecting a scholarly presence more oriented toward referencing than providing foundational claims. Additionally, the absence of OER listings or OAPEN downloads suggests the book remains primarily within traditional academic distribution channels, limiting its reach in open educational resources.

In summary, Opening Science occupies a distinctive position within the discourse on digital transformation in science, especially from a computer science perspective. Its sustained download figures and focused citation profile underscore its ongoing relevance, while frequent Wikipedia mentions highlight its contribution to public understanding of open science concepts. Although lacking diversified event sources or extensive impact in open education platforms, the book remains a valuable scholarly and public resource for exploring how the internet reshapes research collaboration and publishing.