A Balanced Assessment of Open Science in MENA

Open science has certainly availed researchers in the developing world, including the Middle East, with unprecedented access to scientific research material. For the consumers of research, this has been a great plus. However, the picture is not as clear for producers of research, especially in the aforementioned regions. In this paper, we analyze open science from the perspective of researchers who seek to disseminate their work. Cost barriers and institutional perceptions play unexpected roles in impeding research progress, creating a situation that reinforces the marginalization that researchers outside the developed world have suffered from and confirms the passive roles that they have been confined to. We discuss remedial solutions that can be deployed within the resource-constrained institutions in the Middle East region.