Eksperimentues

Eksperimentues is a neologism used in discussions of experimental practice to describe an approach to conducting and communicating experiments. It is not a formal discipline or standardized term; meanings vary by community. Broadly, eksperimentues refers to an ethos of experimentation as a collaborative, open, and iterative process rather than a single method.

Origins and usage: The term emerged in online forums and open science and maker communities in the 2010s as a way to foreground processes over outcomes. It is often used in contexts such as education, citizen science, and participatory research, where public access to methods and data is valued.

Practice and characteristics: Common features include iterative prototyping, transparent documentation of materials and methods, preregistration of hypotheses when feasible, open sharing of data and code, and active collaboration across individuals and institutions. Projects framed as eksperimentues typically invite critique and replication from peers, with emphasis on learning from failures as well as successes.

Impact and applications: In education, eksperimentues can help students learn experimental thinking; in community labs, it supports inclusive participation; in open science, it aligns with principles of reproducibility and transparency. The approach often encourages reflection on biases, limitations, and the social context of research.

Limitations and criticism: Because of its informal nature, there is no universal standard for reporting, which can hinder comparison and quality control. Some observers worry that the term may blur distinctions between rigorous scientific methods and exploratory tinkering if not applied carefully.

See also: Open science, Citizen science, Experimental design. Further reading on related practices in open and collaborative research can provide context for how eksperimentues is used in different communities.