Open Research

Open Research Data is data which has been collected, processed, and shared in as open a manner as is possible. 

This could mean the use of open source tools for collecting and processing data, sharing your data collection methods and protocols via a website, and sharing data via a repository.

Many funders now require that data from projects which they support be shared openly, whilst recognising that there are potential limits to sharing such as ethical issues and commercial relationships.

Sharing data makes it available for others to use in research, supports the integrity of your research, and helps with reproducibility of research.

Before sharing your data you must consider:

• what data you must share because of funder or legal requirements.
• what data you can share- there may be ethical or legal restrictions on what you can share.
• the license you will use to share the data- who can download the data and under what conditions?
• the structure of your data- is it well organised with clear file names and a README file?

You can share your data in a number of ways:

• By depositing your data in the Sheffield Hallam University Research Data Archive (SHURDA) If you use another site to share data you should still register the data on SHURDA.
• By depositing your data on a repository such as the UK Data Service.
• By publishing it in a specialised journal.

When you publish work based on your data you must include a data availability statement which will enable readers to find your data and where possible download and use it. 

The Library's web pages about Research Data Management provide more information, for example about funders' Open Research Data requirements and organising your data for sharing.

If you have any questions about Open Research Data, please contact the Library Research Support Team:

Email: library-research-support@shu.ac.uk

Call: (0114) 225 3852