Research Newsletter - Issue 113: Open Research in Action

Using Open Source Tools to Enhance Reproducibility

Dr Damien Dupré (DCU Business School)

Research Overview

This project focuses on embedding open research practices within interdisciplinary work, in particular where data science elements are required in various Business School disciplines such as Economics, Accounting, and Public Policy.

Dr Damien Dupré delivering a presentation

Dr Damien Dupré (DCU Business School)

Damien champions the use of Quarto, an open-source scientific publishing system, that allows users to create dynamic, reproducible content.

His approach shows how open methods and workflows can enhance the reach and engagement of scholarly work.

See Damien's presentation online here.

Open Research in Action

Damien’s research embeds and adopts open-source tools to facilitate reproducible research. Quarto functions as a command-line software that allows researchers to create polished documents (PDFs, LaTex, Word files, PowerPoint slides, or HTML) from a single plain-text source.

Key open practices being applied include:

Open Methods: Quarto integrates text with executable code in languages such as R and Python, making outputs fully transparent and verifiable.
Open Software: As an open source tool, it removes financial barriers that may be present with proprietary software.
Open Dissemination: Quarto also enables creation of diverse outputs, such as project blogs and websites.

Global Impact

Damien’s use of open-source tools further extends its reusability, allowing peers globally to replicate and build upon his methods without facing financial barriers that can be present with commercial software. This reproducible approach fosters trust and credibility in research, increasing the likelihood of collaboration and citations.

Disseminating research through accessible formats like websites and blogs helps to extend its reach beyond traditional academic channels to a broader global audience. Damien advocates for wider adoption of these practices in DCU to amplify the discoverability and usability of its research. You can also visit Damien’s personal research website which was created using Quarto.

Over the coming months, we will highlight new researchers or research teams and outline how open practices have enhanced their research and its impact. These projects and researchers were all shortlisted presentations at the QuID-funded event, Open Research for Global Impact.