Open Research

Open research is about making research more accessible, breaking down barriers around academic enquiry and sharing knowledge more freely.

What are the components of open research?

1. Open access and accessibility – Open research ensures that knowledge is not restricted to a select few but is accessible to researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the general public worldwide. Without open access, the outputs of research conducted using public money may not be available to that public through restrictions of price, copyright, and other barriers. Funding bodies and other policy-making organisations are increasingly proactive in ensuring that publicly funded research is not hidden behind publication pay-walls and are implementing policies to that effect.

2. Open data and reproducibility – By making methods and data openly available, open research enhances the reproducibility of studies, which is a cornerstone of scientific validity. Open sharing of data is often appropriate and can be especially beneficial in some areas of research. On the other hand, there may be legitimate reasons for keeping data closed.

3. An open approach and collaboration – Open research fosters interdisciplinary collaboration by breaking down barriers to information sharing, speeding up innovation and problem-solving. This can encompass fostering relationships with and working alongside other researchers, often from other disciplines, taking new approaches, such as openly posing research questions online and involving the public in the actual process of research, e.g. citizen science.

4. Equity – Open research reduces inequalities by allowing researchers from underfunded or resource-limited institutions to access cutting-edge knowledge without financial barriers.

5. Transparency and public engagement – Transparency in the research process builds public trust in science, as people can see how conclusions are reached and validated. It’s about ensuring that the public, often the ultimate funder of research themselves, is made aware of research outputs in a way that they can understand and knows how to access research outputs and make use of them.

6. Open platforms, tools, software – This can include opening access to code and software, scientific equipment or instructions for building it, plus any other tools or services that can promote efficiency in research.

An open researcher:

• Has the skills and knowledge to be able to work in an open research environment

What does an open researcher do?

• Knows the requirements of their institution or funder for making research open
• Makes their research data open and accessible, in line with accepted good practice
• Is familiar with where and how to publish their results openly, as appropriate to their research
• Is skilled in finding and using data generated by others
• Is skilled in trawling the huge and rapidly expanding pool of publications to find the research outputs most relevant to them
• Explores opportunities for engaging end users in conducting research, e.g. through mass participation or citizen science
• Meets expectations (of institution and funder, of society) for communicating research through public engagement
• Generates an effective online profile as a researcher
• Understands the legal and ethical requirements related to dissemination of their research outputs
• Builds networks of potential collaborators and takes advantage of opportunities to work across disciplinary or sector boundaries
• Can use the appropriate technology and engage with appropriate service providers to make their research open
• Understands how reputation and reward can happen for individuals in an open research environment.

Researchers need to become familiar with the policies and expectations of both their funding body and employer in areas related to open research including:

• Open access
• Research data management
• Licencing of research outputs
• Intellectual Property (IP) and commercialisation
• Working with collaborators from outside the organisation
• Public engagement activity and use of social media.

There may also be relevant national or regional policies. For example, in the UK, researchers may need to comply with open access policies relating to the REF (Research Excellence Framework).

In addition to policies and requirements there might also be:

• relevant guidelines or codes of practice
• over-arching guidance on ‘good research practice’ or ‘professional practice’

Being familiar with all policies and guidance relevant to research is a core responsibility for the professional researcher.

What organisations are there that work in advocacy of open research?

• SPARC Europe
• JISC
• JISC Open Policy Finder
• OpenAIRE
• The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
• Public Library of Science (PLOS)
• GEANT
• Open Data Institute
• Alliance for Taxpayer Access
• Creative Commons
• National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)

• Efficiency – your work can be disseminated more quickly, and in turn you can access new research more quickly
• Impact – making your work accessible leads to it having a greater real-world impact
• New perspectives – Open researcher behaviour such as developing global citizenship, engaging with the public and actively seeking collaborative relationships will help you to see your research and your career from different perspectives
• New ways of doing research and creativity – Greater connectedness and increasingly effective means of remote communication mean that more creative approaches to your research are possible.
• Collaboration – More conventional collaborations are also available in an open research environment as well as easier to manage. Sharing ideas and resources and cross-discipline or cross-sector working can breathe new life into your research and open doors to new opportunities.
• Being in the know – Engaging in the use of new technologies and ways of working not only helps you to develop important transferable skills but can be a great way to remain aware of new directions in your field and in research in general.
• Profile and reputation – Building a reputation has always been important to those looking for a career in research; online tools can now help more easily with this.