The Academic, Societal and Animal Welfare Benefits of Open Science for Animal Science

Animal science researchers have the obligation to reduce, refine, and replace the usage of animals in research (3R principles). Adherence to these principles can be improved by transparently publishing research findings, data and protocols. Open Science (OS) can help to increase the transparency of many parts of the research process, and its implementation should thus be considered by animal science researchers as a valuable opportunity that can contribute to the adherence to these 3R-principles. With this article, we want to encourage animal science researchers to implement a diverse set of OS practices, such as Open Access publishing, preprinting, and the pre-registration of test protocols, in their workflows.

Automated summary

This article encourages animal science researchers to implement a variety of Open Science practices, such as Open Access publishing, preprinting, and the pre-registration of test protocols, to increase transparency in the research process and adhere to the 3R principles.