Introduction 

Open  Science is understood as open access to scientific information with its products, such as literature, data and software (The Royal Society, 2012). This emerging paradigm shift includes ideas about the future of science within the digital age itself and changes in a scholarly value-added process. To face uncertainty, for instance about ownership, reputation and awareness of open content-based research, considerable advantages need to be displayed within a research community.

Benefits are for instance faster communication of research findings and a higher visibility, an effective quality control and long-term availability of research outputs (Arbeitsgruppe Open Access der Schwerpunktinitiative Digitale Information der Allianz der deutschen Wissenschaftsorganisationen, 2012). The Concordat On Open Research Data of 2015 mentions "economic growth, increased resource efficiency, securing public support for research funding and increasing public trust in research" as further benefits.

Researchers are individuals who might respond more to reasons like higher citation rates (Kurtz et al., 2005; Henneken et al., 2012). On the other hand, service departments as well a leading staff might consider more collective benefits. Open Access as global conception is not an aim in itself but should improve science, enhance transparency and foster integrity.

Open Science is getting more widespread among universities and other research facilities in Germany like in institutions of Leibniz Association, Fraunhofer Society, Helmholtz Association, Max Planck Society and others that together build the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG, 2015). In particular, declarations like "Open Access policies" are passed and currently, universities are implementing "Open Data policies", for example Kiel University, Humboldt University Berlin, University of Bielefeld, and University of Göttingen. These activities can be a further step of promoting Open Science within the scientific landscape and to overcome the problem of scientists’ reservation towards sharing, which is mentioned several times as important challenge in interviews in Ten Tales of Drivers & Barriers in Data Sharing, a report by the Opportunities for Data Exchange Project (Alliance for permanent access APA, 2011).