Critically Unpacking the Concept of Equity for Open Science

The concept of equity has become central to discussions around Open Science. Key texts, such as the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, foreground equity as the fundamental driver of inclusive and accessible research. Nonetheless, such appeals to equity are rarely unpacked to provide insights into how equity is enacted in research, namely how equitable research actions can be understood and assessed and how infrastructures support equitable engagement with research resources. This paper problematizes discussions around equitable Open Science, highlighting key challenges for transitioning from high-level appeals to equity to practical action. The paper introduces the Capabilities Approach as a framework through which to critically interrogate how ‘meaningful openness’ can be embedded in research as a means of moving towards equitable research.