The Open Science Days are periodically organized by the Max Planck Digital Library.

In the context of this conferences we would like to deal with various aspects of a global movement towards a more open and transparent approach to science.

The international discussion in this area, among other things, is focused on

• public access to research outcome in the form of publications (Open Access)
• a free access to research data (Open Research Data)
• access to and cross-linking of public data stocks (Linked Open Data)
• the quest for alternative solutions to the traditional review processes provided by journal publishers, in order to improve transparency in this field (Open Review)
• the development and usage of Open Source software for research activity
• the involvement of amateur or non-professional scientists in the research process (Citizen Science)
• the endeavour to a broad access to learning and training – far beyond the existing options provided by the traditional education system (Open Education)

All those aspects share the endeavor for an opening of established scientific processes with regard to a greater availability, transparency and networking (Openness).

The event is directed at researchers and specialists from inside and especially from outside the Max Planck Society who are interested in an interdisciplinary communication about Open Science.

Participants get the opportunity to present their own ideas, experiences, initiatives or activities and to discuss current topics related to the scopes mentioned above.

The initial event took place in October 2014. Upcoming conferences of this series each will have a thematic focus on a concrete topic from the area of Open Science.