2026 BTSCON: Improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Open Science

Big Team Science Conference unconference: Improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Open Science: Recognizing Strengths and Opportunities in the Majority World Presenter(s): Alma Jeftic, Sergio Barbosa de la Torre, Brendan Ch'ng, Lynn Hu, & the CONNECT EDI working group Open science and big-team science have generated important advances in psychology by strengthening research methods, increasing statistical power, and promoting transparency and collaboration. However, their benefits remain unevenly distributed, and researchers from Majority World contexts continue to be substantially underrepresented. Efforts to improve inclusion have often focused on educational resources, such as workshops, lesson plans, and translated materials by and for researchers in the Majority World. While these initiatives are valuable, the work of Advancing Big-Team Reproducible Science through Increased Representation (ABRIR) has shown that barriers extend well beyond limited access to knowledge. Some such challenges, including political instability, financial constraints, overwork, and unequal research infrastructure, are difficult to address directly. Others, however, can be reduced through greater transparency, sustained capacity building, equitable collaboration, and stronger institutional support from researchers and organizations in better-resourced Minority World contexts. This unconference will introduce the ABRIR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lesson Plan, which translates DEI principles into concrete and teachable practices for researchers, educators, and big-team science organizers. Participants will be invited to identify justice, access, and representation gaps within common open-science practices; map barriers experienced by researchers in Majority World contexts, such as language, funding, infrastructure, publication incentives, and cultural dominance; highlight under-recognized innovations and success stories; and develop actionable recommendations for more equitable collaboration. These may include budgeting for translation, supporting local leadership, ensuring fair authorship and credit,, and building sustainable research capacity in Majority World settings as well as fostering a culture of reciprocity and mutual aid in Big Team Science initiatives. During the session, we will present the structure, materials, and facilitation approach of the ABRIR lesson plan and invite participants to critically evaluate, adapt, and expand it for use in their own institutional and cultural contexts. The hackathon will provide a collaborative space for developing practical strategies that can strengthen inclusive training, improve global participation in big-team and open science, and enhance the external validity and social relevance of psychological research. This unconference is organized as part of CONNECT (Coordinated Network of Networks for Enhancing Collaborative Teams), a SSHRC-funded partnership aimed at strengthening collaboration and capacity-building across BTS projects. recorded October 6, 2026 bigteamscienceconference.github.io connect-btss.github.io