Navigating open science: Reviewing perspectives and recommendations from qualitative social psychology

This review examines the ‘Open Science, Qualitative Methods and Social Psychology: Possibilities and Tensions’ section published in the British Journal of Social Psychology (2023, Vol. 62, Issue 4). The section, comprising four papers and an editorial, explores the complexities of implementing Open Science (OS) principles within diverse qualitative research paradigms. While acknowledging the value of OS in enhancing robustness, rigour, transparency, and openness, the section highlights the challenges posed by the diverse nature of qualitative methods and the additional labour required for OS implementation. This review focuses on three key themes raised by the section: diversity of paradigms in qualitative social psychology (QSP); the role of journals, and particularly special sections, in implementing OS principles; and the labour involved in implementing OS practices. We argue that the diversity of qualitative methods shapes engagement with OS and emphasises the need for clear and actionable guidelines from journals to researchers. Special editions can provide valuable platforms for disseminating and implementing OS practices, offering flexibility for researchers and facilitating low-stakes exploration of OS for journals. Finally, the review seeks to recognise the additional labour involved in implementing OS practices. We argue that this work can be made more attractive by aligning its benefits with professional incentives, and that collective organising is required by researchers to implement structural, sustainable change.