Meta Research Conference, MERE 2021

Abstract

Who investigates the work of scientists? Many organizations evaluate the

work of scientists. The monitoring of the scientific work includes the ins- titutional boards such as departments, faculties, and ethics committees that

validate procedures to obtain grants, resources, or research licenses. Yet, despite the existence of a large bureaucratic apparatus, ‘researching on research’ (the researchers’ profession and their work ) commonly falls

outside the agenda of both disciplines and researchers. Except for peer re- view, and other formal practices, examining the scientific practice from an

empirical perspective is not as attractive as other research objects. How is science (and the scientists) facing the flourishing technological paradigms? Is scientific practice being affected by any ideological bias? How Open Science is contributing to more equal research and research careers? These are just a few questions raised by the presenters at the Meta Research Conference, MERE 2021. The MERE Conference is an academic practice conducted every year by

students of the Master’s Programs in Sound and Music Computing, Intelli- gent and Interactive Systems, and Computational Biomedical Engineering

of the Information and Communication Technology Department at Pom- peu Fabra University.

The MERE 2021 is the result of an integrative assessment, the “Meta Re- search Project”, that involves students of the Research Methods course

to identify and evaluate the different elements that make up the scientific practice by researching research. For the MERE 2021 edition, the students have worked on a small piece of research to analyze: the principles and values of science, the role of open science, scientific communication and outreach, and ethics in research.