What is Open Research?

Open Research basics: definition, principles and why it is important.

Definition

Open Research (or Open Science as it's known internationally) encompasses a variety of practices, including:

• Open Access to publications
• Open Research Data
• Open Research Software and Open Source
• Open Educational Resources
• Reproducible Research
• Transparency in Research Methods
• Open Peer review and Evaluation
• Citizen Science

Principles

Open Science is about increased rigour, accountability, and reproducibility for research. It is based on the principles of inclusion, fairness, equity, and sharing, and it ultimately seeks to change the way research is done, who is involved and how it is valued. It aims to make research more open to participation, review/refutation, improvement and (re)use for the world to benefit

Why is it important?

1. Making research outputs open leads to their greater visibility. The increased visibility, in turn, maximises the potential of research outputs by enabling researchers to reuse, share and repurpose outputs that would otherwise remain closed behind a paywall.
2. Making the underlying data and methodology available allows individual users to replicate and verify the results of the original research.
3. The transparency of the research process allows readers to see how the conclusions have evolved at its different stages.
4. It enables members of the public to access the results of the publicly funded research. In doing so, it facilitates the democratization of knowledge.
5. It is increasingly recognised as a critical accelerator for the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly democracy, justice, global responsibility and the general public’s and society’s trust in science.