Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences


The Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences, abbreviated BITSS, is an academic initiative dedicated to advancing transparency and openness in social science research. It was established in 2012 by the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Effective Global Action. It is led by an interdisciplinary group of academics from ten different universities. It has worked with the Center for Open Science to define and promote a set of best practices for social scientists to maximize transparency in their research.
In 2015, the BITSS began awarding the annual Leamer-Rosenthal Prizes for Open Social Science to honor outstanding achievements in promoting transparency in social science. Through its Catalyst program, the initiative also supports over 120 graduate students who are active in advancing open science.