Open Science in Italian Universities. Advantage or unnecessary policies?

This paper intends to explore the impacts and the effects policies enacted by Italian universities had on the research landscape. Since the Declaration of Messina in 2004, Italian universities adopted policies supporting the scholars in approaching Open Access in their work. The concept of Open Science is becoming more and more fundamental in the scientific landscape, from the STEM to the SSH one. The reasons behind the adoption of an OA approach can differ. In Europe, for example, the responsibility falls partially on the shoulder of the European Union and its programmes.

This paper will analyse how different universities in Italy approached the topic, enacting a set of policies and regulations, opening their door to Open Science on different levels of their own structure. The work will, in a first moment, develop a desk analysis of the document retrieved directly from the universities. In a second phase, we will try to analyse the impact such policies had on several indicators the literature widely considers of success, or failure, of a scientific effort – i.e., publications, citations, funds.

In a third, and final moment of the paper, we will try to face the possible interaction Open Science generated via new infrastructures in the European landscape, presenting projects ad OPERAS which are fostering its development and pursuing a more multi-level approach to scientific research.