Open Research Practices and Priciples
Answer
Open Research principles
The University of Manchester’s Open Research principles and expectations
As outlined in its Position Statement on Open Research, The University of Manchester is committed to supporting the principles of Open Research, recognising its role in promoting transparency and collaboration. Researchers are encouraged to explore and adopt Open Research practices throughout the research lifecycle to foster a responsible research culture, with the Position Statement outlining two key expectations:
-
That researchers, in discussion with collaborative partners, build Open Research practices into their research workflows wherever practical.
-
That research outputs will be as open as early as possible.
Researchers whose work acknowledges funding also need to ensure compliance with funder mandates on Open Research.
While Open Research practices may vary by discipline, the University offers comprehensive support to ensure all researchers can engage with these principles meaningfully and sustainably, including via The Office for Open Research.
Principles of Open Research: examples
-
Pre-registration of research: Pre-registering studies and hypotheses to enhance the transparency of research design.
-
Transparency in research methodology: Providing clear documentation of research methods, enabling others to evaluate, replicate, and build upon the research.
-
Public availability and reusability of research data and analysis code: Sharing research data, analysis code, and materials openly to promote reusability, reproducibility, and accountability.
-
Public accessibility and transparency of research communication: Making research outputs available to the public through open access platforms.
-
FAIR Data Principles: Data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). Where possible, data should be publicly available and described in ways that facilitate reuse.
-
Using web-based tools for collaboration: Leveraging trusted systems, online tools and platforms to facilitate collaborative work across disciplines and institutions.
The University recognises that engagement with these principles may vary across disciplines and projects, depending on factors such as commercial potential; industry partnerships; use of human participant data; or publisher requirements. All credible, practical, and sustainable efforts to engage with Open Research will be supported by The University, regardless of discipline.
Open Research in practice
Open Research encompasses a diverse range of practices that collectively contribute to more transparent, responsible, and ethical research. While it would not be appropriate or practical for all practices to be adopted for every research project, researchers are encouraged to implement those that are most relevant and beneficial to their work.
Open Research practice involves enacting the principles of Open Research, described above, in a tangible and meaningful way. Examples include:
-
Preregistration of research plans
-
Sharing protocols to improve transparency from the outset
-
Using open source software and clear version control for replicable data analysis
-
Managing data under the FAIR principles to ensure it is reusable and accessible
-
Enhancing dissemination of research through Open Access publishing and sharing executable papers
-
Supporting ethical evaluation by embracing Open Peer Review and responsible research metrics.
By integrating these practices, researchers promote rigorous and transparent research that benefits the broader academic community and the public.
Support from The Office for Open Research
Researchers are encouraged to explore these resources and actively engage with Open Research practices, contributing to a more transparent, equitable, and impactful research environment. The Office for Open Research provides a suite of training, trusted systems, and resources to support you to explore and engage with Open Research:
Open Research Governance and Strategy