“Open Science is not about dogma per se; it is about greater efficiency and productivity, more transparency and a better response to interdisciplinary research needs.”
Here you will find guidelines and information needed to make your research outputs future-proof through Open Science.
Open Science is the movement to make scientific research and its dissemination accessible to all levels of an inquiring society, amateur or professional.
This includes Open Access to publications and to research data. Both require their own approach as outlined throughout the research life cycle below.
Open Data are online, free of cost, accessible data that can be used, reused and distributed provided that the data source is attributed.
Open Data are online, free of cost, accessible data that can be used, reused and distributed provided that the data source is attributed. FAIR data do not have to be open, but the conditions for access and reuse are clearly and transparently provided. DTU supports Open Science and requires data to be handled according to the FAIR principles.
Learn about the FAIR principles and watch a Film about Open Data. Read the DTU’s Research Data Management Policy
Open Access means offering free access to scientific publications in order to reach a wider audience and to benefit the research community more broadly.
Open Access means offering free access to scientific publications in order to reach a wider audience and to benefit the research community more broadly. DTU researchers are encouraged to publish in the most suitable and prestigious publication channels available and choose Open Access journals if these are considered to match traditional journals quality-wise. In the planning phase, it’s good to think about which Open Access possibilities are available to you.
Read DTU’s publication policy and learn more about publishing Open Access
Millions of data sets are available for use in innovation and research.
Millions of data sets are readily available for use in innovation and research. Researchers often deposit data in data repositories, while data collected by organisations and public agencies may be found through their websites.
Take a look at DTU Data, Zenodo, Figshare, Danish Statistics, National Archives, Open Data DK or Dataset search
Check out the fine print when you receive funding for your research.
Check out the fine print when you receive funding for your research. Many funders have Open Access requirements and if you do not comply with these, your funding may be retained or you may be excluded from applying for funding in the future. Unless you opt for the green model, you may well have to pay to provide free access to your publications. Thus, it may be a good idea to incorporate Open Access publishing early on in a research project and for instance budget with funds to cover any Open Access expenses.
Learn more about requirements from grantors and funders
Funders increasingly emphasise that grants should lead to FAIR and Open Data.
Funders increasingly emphasise that grants should lead to FAIR and Open Data. The costs for good research data management should be planned and included in funding applications.
Use this template to plan the costs.
Do not to transfer all rights to the publisher
We advise DTU authors not to transfer all rights to the publisher, but rather to license the limited set of rights needed to enable publication in a particular journal. For Open Access publications, DTU suggests that you use the a Creative Commons license, for instance CC-BY (CC Attribution 4.0), which ensures credit by citation. If you are considering taking out a patent, make sure you take this into consideration before submitting your manuscript and do remember to be open and upfront when it comes to adapting e.g. conference papers into journal articles. This way, you will avoid accusations of self-plagiarism and/or double publication.
Learn more about Copyright and Creative Commons
Familiarise yourself with external requirements and regulations that are important for your data.
Familiarise yourself with external requirements and regulations that are important for your data. Clarify which are your contractual, legal and ethical obligations and make data handling clear before you start collecting data. How do your collaborators expect access to data or use of confidential data?
Use the Timeline for Responsible Research to get an overview of what you need to consider through all phases of your research project
Millions of books and articles are available Open Access
Millions of books and articles are available Open Access. Researchers often deposit their accepted peer-reviewed manuscripts (post-prints) in institutional repositories such as DTU Orbit. You can read these for free - typically after an embargo period. Golden and hybrid Open Access publications are available for download on journal websites and may also be located via search engines and discovery systems such as DTU Findit.
Have a look at DTU Findit or DTU Orbit or some of these sites arXiv, techrXiv, biorXiv, Google Scholar (Always check if the manuscript you're using has undergone peer-review!)
The FAIR principles form the basis for good data handling practices at DTU.
The FAIR principles form the basis for good data handling practices at DTU. The first step towards making your data FAIR is writing a Data Management Plan, but revise it as the project develops.
First, find your departmental guidelines for research data management at DTU Inside!
Then, practice FAIRification of data (with DTU examples).
Also, learn more about FAIR data and get help writing a DMP.
Before submitting your manuscript to a publisher, check its scientific impact and reputation.
Before submitting your manuscript to a publisher, check its scientific impact and reputation. At DTU, Web of Science indexed journals are highly estimated, but many other metrics and impact systems are available. To identify Open Access possibilities with different publishers, use sites like these: DTU Open Access Discount, How can I share it, SherpaRomeo, DOAJ, Chronoshub or Journal Checker Tool
Other tools: Web of Science Master Journal List, Journal Impact Factor
Be sure to store your data on systems that are backed-up
Be sure to store your data on systems that are backed-up and where access can be managed if data contain sensitive or confidential information. DTU provides platforms for storage and sharing data with collaborators.
Read about storage and backup at DTU
DTU publications must be easily and freely available to the widest possible audience
DTU publications must be easily and freely available to the widest possible audience, therefore, Open Access should be considered in the journal selection process. However, avoid predatory journals and conferences. These typically present themselves as the perfect Open Access dissemination platform for your research, when in fact they are merely after your money. DTU Library has collected a number of tools which can be used for validating journals. Use them.
Web of Science Master Journal List, Journal Impact Factor, Cabells, Predatory journals, Think Check Submit, Think Check Attend
Several methods and tools can be used to document, structure and manage research data
Several methods and tools can be used to document, structure and manage research data, such as protocols, (electronic) laboratory notebooks or defined standards for metadata and file formats. Also, DTU instances of GitHub and GitLab are available. Find more information in our toolbox for data management.
Green Open Access costs nothing
Green Open Access costs nothing - golden and hybrid Open Access both come with a price tag. If Green OA is not an option, your project or department will have to foot the bill. Luckily, some publishers offer discounts on APCs as a part of DTU's subscription - and EU projects may upload publications free of charge in EUs Open Research Platform.
Check out your options here: Open Access Discounts
Open and FAIR data should be shared in open formats and with rich documentation.
Open and FAIR data should be shared in open formats and with rich documentation. You should use data and metadata standards to ensure correct and proper use and interpretation of the data and adhere to domain-specific ontologies to accurately describe concepts related to your data.
Read more about recommended formats, and documentation of data. Find generic and discipline-specific standards and ontologies.
Creative Common licenses work well for data, but not for software and code.
Creative Common licenses work well for data, but not for software and code. The legal advisers at DTU can help you choose a license.
Learn about CC licenses for data and how to make software FAIR
DTU researchers can make their publications Open Access via DTU Orbit.
DTU researchers can make their publications Open Access via DTU Orbit. Researchers must simply send the post-print versions of their publications (or the publisher version if it's an Open Access paper) to DTU Orbit. DTU Library will take care of the rest, i.e. ensure the manuscripts are made available Open Access as quickly as possible and in accordance with publisher guidelines and possible embargo periods.
Learn all about publishing Open Access
at DTU.DTU researchers can publish data and code in DTU Data.
DTU researchers can publish data and code in our institutional repository, DTU Data, that integrates GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket. You must seek legal advice before you publish software and code and make sure all contractual, legal and ethical obligations are fulfilled before you share any data.
Use DTU Data or find another data repository to publish your data. Also, check the requirements for software publication.
DTU Orbit provides an overview of DTU’s publication output.
DTU Orbit provides an overview of DTU’s publication output. DTU Library handles the system, but it's the responsibility of the individual DTU researcher that his/her DTU publication list is correct and up-to-date. Check it from time to time and let the Library know if something is missing or if you have questions about the Open Access status of an individual Orbit record.
Learn about registration of research in DTU Orbit
Data sets with a DOI can be registered in DTU Orbit.
Data sets with a DOI can be registered in DTU Orbit. You can also import data sets to be displayed on your ORCiD profile.
In DTU Orbit, you can check if your publications are available for all to read.
In DTU Orbit, you can check if your publications are available for all to read (hint: look for the small Open Access icon in the individual DTU Orbit record). In addition, you can access your department’s or section’s Open Access figures via DTU Library’s publication statistics in Findit. If you want to assess DTU’s Open Access performance over the years and benchmark it against other Danish universities, check out the Open Access Indicator.
Tools: DTU Research Output Statistics, Danish Open Access Indicator
Remember to cite the DOI of your data sets to increase visibility.
Remember to cite the DOI of your data sets to increase visibility. Your data can be shared and discussed in news and on social media - just like your research papers. DTU Data shows downloads, citations and Altmetrics for you published research.
Danish law requires that certain data are reported and delivered for long-term preservation.
Danish law requires that certain data are reported and delivered for long-term preservation at the National Archives. Long-term preservation means archiving longer than the required 5 years after publication and data have to be thoroughly documented and in an future-proofed open format.
Learn how DTU Data can secure your data for at least 10 years in our Guide to preservation in DTU Data.