Research data management
Research data
and Open research data
Open research data
Research data can be defined as all types of materials collected, generated, analysed or processed during the research activity. they are necessary to verify the research outcomes.
Openness of research data, in a broader sense, means the availability of data on the internet without the need for users to pay fees or provide additional information. However, for data to be considered open, the use of standardised solutions is crucial – in practice, this means primarily the removal of technical barriers to data access.
Advantages of making data open
Verifiable research results
Making the data underpinning the publication openly available enables verification of the conclusions and provides insight into the details of the research process.
Higher data quality
Appropriate research data management contributes to greater rigour in data description and documentation, which increases data quality.
Increased research efficiency
Sharing data openly helps avoiding duplication of research, saving time and money.
Promotion of scientific outputs
Open and easily accessible data are a showcase for the research team. They are more frequently cited and reused, increasing their impact on further research.
Increased visibility and collaboration
Open data fosters collaboration between scientists, facilitating the exchange of information and accelerating scientific development. Data can also be used by other teams in different research contexts.
Citizen science
Involving citizens in collecting, analysing and interpreting research data can contribute to the development of science, including through faster processing of large data sets.
Supporting scholarly education
Open data can be used for teaching purposes, enabling the creation and development of open educational resources.
Cooperation with the business sector
Research data made available under free licences fosters collaboration between academia and those in the socio-economic environment, supporting innovation and knowledge transfer.
Open data for society
Open data can be used by public administration, NGOs and various professional groups.
Open access mandate
An increasing number of research funding and research performing organisations require a data management plan and open access to research data.
Both the European Commission and the Polish National Science Centre publish recommendations for funding applicants and ongoing projects. Publishers of scientific journals also develop guidelines in this area.
The set of rules defining how to make research results openly available is called an open access policy. Policies can be adopted at the national or institutional level and cover various issues related to open science, in particular open access to scientific publications and requirements related to research data management.