Many European countries have introduced Open Science (OS) policies to
improve the quality and efficiency of science and to increase economic
and societal growth. Researchers’ perceptions and experiences of OS
policies remain relatively under-investigated. This explorative study
applies the policy alienation perspective to understand researchers’
perceptions of OS policy implementation. Analysis of survey responses
indicates that researchers have difficulties in coping with OS policy
and that they feel policy alienation from OS policy. Hence, researchers
may be less willing to try to support OS policy implementation despite
the fact that OS policies are motivated by the desire to enhance the
excellence and quality of research. The findings address how the
incentive problems lie not only in the research evaluation and academic
credit systems but also in the policy–practice divide. These problems
need to be solved in terms of participation in policymaking and in the
knowledge production of ‘openness’ itself.