Announcing the launch of the Open Research Toolkit a joint venture of CAUL, ARMS, CAUDIT, ARDC, ARC and NHMRC.

Open research is “scholarly research that is collaborative, transparent and reproducible and whose outputs are publicly available” (Open Science Policy Platform)

Open research applies to the entire research cycle, not just open access publishing. Open research extends to all disciplines and types of research, inclusive of protocols, data, code, software, publications, and more. Many elements of the research lifecycle can be made open, transparent, and reproducible.

"What is Open Research?" by Wellcome Trust is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

The principles of Open Research will be reflected in the policies of public funders and organisations that promote greater public access to research. The principles apply to all researchers and all disciplines, and are:

• Making the outputs of research, including publications, data, software, and other research materials freely accessible
• Using online tools and services to increase the transparency of research processes and methodologies
• Making scientific research more reproducible by increasing the amount and quality of information placed on the public record
• Using alternative models of publication and peer review to make the dissemination and certification of research faster and more transparent
• Using open collaborative methods to increase efficiency and widen participation in research

Acknowledgement: University of Reading

'Open means anyone can freely access, use, modify, and share for any purpose' (The Open Definition)

The outputs of research, including publications, research data and software code, should be shared under an open licence wherever possible, in order to maximise opportunities for their consultation and re-use by others.

Examples of open licences include:

• Creative Commons licences for creative works (including research publications and datasets);
• Open Source licences for software source code;
• Licences for specific types of work, such as the Open Data Commons licences for databases;
• Government open data licences, such as the Australian Public Data Policy Statement;
• Public domain dedications, such as the Creative Commons CC0 Public Domain Dedication does not include an attribution requirement, since it is by definition a waiver of rights in the material, but can still include a liability disclaimer..

The Creative Commons licence suite includes versions with Non-Commercial and No-Derivatives terms. These are not open licences, because of the restrictions the terms place on re-use. But if the material cannot be made available under an open licence, it is still wise to publish under a standard licence that offers the closest approximation. CC BY-NC may not be an open licence, but it grants broad permission for use in research and teaching and other non-commercial activities.

Acknowledgement: University of Reading