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Open Research

What is Open Research?

'Open Research' refers to being open about research at every stage of the process, from working out the original idea through carrying out the research to sharing the finished work. 

Open Research is an interchangeable term with 'Open Science' which is often seen in European context, where it used to embrace the full spectrum of knowledge.

The UKRI says that:

"Transparency, openness, verification and reproducibility are important features of research and innovation. Open research helps to support and uphold these features across the whole lifecycle of research – improving public value, research integrity, re-use and innovation"

The principles of Open Research are increasingly reflected in the policies of public funders of research, in developments in scholarly communication, and in the practices of the wider academic and research community.

The University of Reading have also created a handy list of things you can do to make your research open and to support open research generally.

University College London have produced an English version of a useful brief guide to open research for doctoral students.

Use the tabs on the left to find out more about:

  • open methods
  • open peer review
  • preprints
  • open access
  • open licences & copyright
  • open research data
  • open research code & software
  • collaborative research with the public

How to be Open during your research project

 

Be as open as possible at every stage of a project- here are some ideas on how to do that

Conceptualisation

  • Blog about your project plans
  • Pre-register your research plans
Data gathering and Data analysis
  • Consider citizen science by involving the public in data gathering and analysis
  • Share data and preliminary findings before project end or publication
Publication
  • Share a preprint
  • Publish Open Access
  • Make your data available (open data) and release your code
  • Share your methods and protocols
  • Participate in open review
  • Write a lay summary to increase impact beyond the academy

 

Resources

Open research Resource List Online A collection of policy, practice, and guidance materials on all aspects of open research.

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