Date of Award

8-28-2025

Thesis Type

PhD

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Department

Department of Library and Information Science

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

The global movement toward transparency and openness in scientific publishing (TOSP) has become integral in strengthening research integrity, accessibility, and reproducibility. While TOSP practices are increasingly embedded in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, their uptake remains limited and fragmented in the social sciences, especially within the Malaysian context. This study investigates how Malaysian social science researchers interpret, adopt, and implement TOSP practices, and how these are influenced by demographic variables such as age, gender, academic position, discipline, and research experience. Using a sequential mixedmethods approach, the study draws on qualitative interviews with 20 participants and survey responses from 217 Malaysian social science researchers to explore their attitudes, behaviours, and the extent of engagement with TOSP practices. Findings reveal a strong theoretical endorsement of transparency and openness, particularly in data sharing, methodological transparency, open access (OA) publishing, and ethical research conduct. However, practical implementation lags due to ethical concerns, limited infrastructure, lack of institutional mandates, and fears over data misuse and intellectual property. Significant variations in TOSP engagement were found based on age, academic position, and discipline, particularly in relation to sharing practices, publishing preprints, and being transparent about authorship. This study contributes a context-specific definition and framework of TOSP relevant to social sciences in a developing country. It identifies nine core behavioural attributes, including sharing and connecting, OA publishing, peer review, collaboration, and reproducibility. While researchers show strong support for OA and collaborative practices, actual data accessibility and preprint usage remain low. The study highlights an attitude-behaviour gap, where positive perceptions of transparency are not always translated into practice, mirroring international findings on the challenges of adopting open science principles. The research offers theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions to the understanding of TOSP. It provides practical recommendations for enhancing TOSP adoption through targeted interventions, improved infrastructure, policy support, and researcher training. Limitations include the study’ s narrow national focus and modest response rate, although these are mitigated by its methodological rigour. Future research is encouraged to adopt longitudinal designs and broaden sampling across regions and disciplines to deepen understanding of systemic and institutional influences on transparency practices. Ultimately, the study underscores the critical role of TOSP in strengthening research quality, public trust, and evidencebased policymaking. By addressing contextual barriers and promoting ethical openness, Malaysian social science researchers can contribute meaningfully to the global open science agenda.

Initial

khm

Additional Information

Thesis (PhD) – Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 2025.

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