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Free Online Course on Transparent and Open Social Science Research

A free online course is available on Transparent and Open Social Science Research. This course is designed for academics and practitioners who are engaging in social science research, as well as anyone who is interested in better understanding open science and research transparency.

In this course, applicants will explore the causes of limited transparency in social science research, and tools to make your own work more open and reproducible. The course will start on 

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Course At Glance

Length: 3 weeks
Effort: 5 hours/week
Subject: Transparent and Open Social Science Research
Institution: Future learn
Languages: English
Price: Free
Certificate Available: Yes
Session: Course starts on 

Providers’ Details

University of California, Berkeley 

Home to more than 27,000 undergraduates and more than 10,000 graduate students, Berkeley is internationally renowned for excellence and pioneering achievements across all disciplines.

Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is a hub for research on global development, with a network of over 70 academic researchers.

Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS)

The Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS) works to strengthen the integrity of social science research and evidence used for policy-making.

About This Course

Demand is growing for evidence-based policy making, but there is growing recognition in the social science community that limited transparency and openness in research have contributed to widespread problems.

In this free online course, we will discuss the major transparency and reproducibility issues across the social sciences today, including the problems of fraud, publication bias and data mining.

Why Take This Course?

This is a free online course. This MOOC will be offered with Video Transcripts in English.  Applicants can get a verified certificate.

Learning Outcomes

  • Develop an understanding of the root and systemic causes of limited transparency and openness in social science research, including publication bias, p-hacking, and fraud.
  • Explore the tools that you can use to improve transparency in your own research and identify flaws in other research.
  • Apply research transparency tools (such as p-curve.com) to real data presented in interactive quizzes and other activities.
  • Establish an account on the Open Science Framework (OSF), explore the platform, and reflect on how you might use it in your own work.
  • Discuss the tools that publishers are beginning to use to incentivize research transparency and reproducibility.
  • Learn how to design a pre-analysis plan (PAP), as well as explore study registries where PAPs are posted.
  • Explore different frameworks to improve the robustness and credibility of social science research, including meta-analysis and replication.
  • Participate in the open science movement and become an engaged researcher!

Requirements

This course is designed for academics and practitioners who are engaging in social science research, as well as anyone who is interested in better understanding open science and research transparency.

To get the most out of this course, you will need:

  • A good understanding of statistics
  • Undergraduate or preferably graduate experience of econometrics and/or statistical methods
  • Some experience with statistical software such as Stata or R.

Instructors

Ted Miguel

He is Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley and Faculty Director of the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA).

Garret Christensen

He is a research fellow with BITSS with a PhD in Economics from UC Berkeley.

How To Join This Course

  • Go to the course website link
  • Sign Up At FutureLearn
  • Select a course and Join
  • Once a course has started, applicant will be able to access the course material
  • After the start date, students will be able to access the course by following the Go To Course link on My Courses page.
  • Applicants can buy, to show that they have completed a FutureLearn course.
  • On some FutureLearn courses, learners will be able to pay to take an exam to qualify for a Statement of Attainment. (These are university-branded, printed certificates that provide proof of learning on the course topic(s)).

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