Open Science & Open Data
“Open Data typically applies to a range of non-textual materials, including datasets, statistics, transcripts, survey results, and the metadata associated with these objects. The data is, in essence, the factual information that is necessary to replicate and verify research results. Open Data policies usually encompass the notion that machine extraction, manipulation, and meta-analysis of data should be permissible.” –SPARC
“By open data in science we mean that it is freely available on the public internet permitting any user to download, copy, analyse, re-process, pass them to software or use them for any other purpose without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. To this end data related to published science should be explicitly placed in the public domain.” – Panton Principles
Why?
Open Data:
- Accelerates the pace of discovery.
- Grows the economy.
- Helps ensure we don’t miss breakthroughs.
- Improves the integrity of the scientific and scholarly record.
- Is becoming recognized by many in the research community as an important part of the research enterprise
More Information
Finding Open Information
The Directory of Open Access Journals is one of the best sources for details on open access journals.
Many institutions are also adding their own open access digital repositories as well. Some sources for locating other open source materials:
- ArXiv
- Bepress Digital Commons Network
- bioRxiv
- BMC Research Notes
- CAS Common Chemistry
- ChemSpider
- DART-Europe E-Thesis Portal
- The Dataverse Project
- DrugBank
- National Academies Press
- National Nuclear Data Center
- The Open Dinosaur Project
- PLoS Public Library of Science
- PubChem
- PubMed
- SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System
- Science Accelerator
- Shodhganga: A reservoir of Indian theses
- Social Science Research Network
- SureChem
- WikiPathways
Licensing
The Open Data Commons outlines licensing options for Open Data.
The Creative Commons may also be helpful.
For information about copyright more generally, see our Copyright Guide.