Open Research

Open Research is an important movement in research to make it accessible, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. It is underpinned by principles such as transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration. 

 

Circular infographic showing the research lifecycle with OSF (Open Science Framework) at the center. The outer ring represents stages of the research process, labeled clockwise as: Creative Design, Resourcing, Planning, Conducting, Interpreting, Reporting, Publishing, and Discussing. Radiating outward from each stage are related open science practices: Creative Design - Synthesis, Participatory Research; Resourcing - Data Management Plans; Planning - Preregistration, Team Science; Conducting - Open Notebooks, Open Protocols; Interpreting - Open Materials, Preprints; Reporting - Open Code, Open Data; Publishing - Open Peer Review, Open Access; Discussing - Corrections
What is Open Science? Center for Open Science. Accessed June 2025 from https://www.cos.io/open-science/

 

Familiarise yourself with the concept of Open Research

  • Open Research is a movement which aims to make scientific research (including publications, data, physical samples, and software) and its dissemination accessible to all levels of society, amateur or professional. It also ensures that the production of that knowledge itself is inclusive, equitable and sustainable.

  • Learn about the University’s initiatives around reproducibility and Open Research, e.g. IAD Open Research hub, library resources/courses (e.g. open research initiatives, Edinburgh Open Research Initiative (EORI,  ReproducibiliTea.

  • Learn about wider national or international open research initiatives: Open Science Framework, UK Reproducibility Network, FAIR data.

  • Read relevant publications on open research and/or join journal clubs on the theme (e.g. ReproducibiliTea).

  • Make sure you are informed on and comply with University policies and guidance around research integrity .

  • Be aware that individual funders may have their own policies, guidance and recommendations around open research practices and tools, and you may have to additionally ensure you comply with these.

 

Apply principles of Open Research to your work

 

Circular infographic titled Open Science represented at the center of a four-piece puzzle surrounded by icons and labels. Each puzzle piece represents a key pillar of open science: Open Scientific Knowledge (green segment): Includes open research data, open educational resources, scientific publications, open source software and code, and open hardware. Open Science Infrastructures (pink segment): Covers both virtual and physical infrastructures that support open science practices. Open Engagement of Societal Actors (orange segment): Highlights crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, scientific volunteering, and citizen and participatory science. Open Dialogue with Other Knowledge Systems (blue segment): Emphasizes engagement with Indigenous peoples, marginalized scholars, and local communities. The design visually connects these four interlocking elements around the central principle of Open Science, reinforcing inclusion, transparency, accessibility, and collaboration
UNESCO Open Science Toolkit. Accessed June 2025 from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000387983

  • Consider your options for access early in the research process, ideally before paper submission. Consider which Open Access options are available to your specific work and whether you can share your data. You should discuss this with your group leader.

  • Data may be published through dedicated open-access publishers or commercial publishers, who publish open-access as well as subscription-based journals. Open Access Publishing is a requirement of many funders and REF.

  • Ensure you comply with funders’ policies relating to Open Access. Many will require a data availability statement detailing how to access your data, software used, or other research materials underpinning your research, and you may need to deposit a copy of your paper in an external repository (e.g. Europe PMC). Some funders have sanctions for non-compliance.

  • Ensure you comply with the University’s Publication & Copyright Policy which applies to staff on research contracts.

  • The University has systems in place to cover Open Access publishing fees.

  • Consider non-peer reviewed formats such as preprints to disseminate your research on an open access server, e.g., openRxiv. A preprint is a full draft research paper that is shared publicly before it has been peer-reviewed. Most preprints are given a digital object identifier (DOI) so they can be cited in other research papers. Benefits include credit, feedback and visibility. 

  • Learn about publication bias, and consider when to publish negative findings.

  • Create and use an  Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) and link your publications to your profile.

  • Understand author contributions using CRediT, and appropriately and fairly acknowledge all contributions to a research piece.

Ethics & Integrity Research Design