Open Research
Open Research aims to make the knowledge gained from academic research openly available as soon as possible. The primary aim of open research is to create a level-playing field, enabling access to scholarly knowledge as easy and as inclusive as possible.
“Open research… relates to how research is performed and how knowledge is shared based on the principle that research should be as open as possible. It also enables research to take advantage of digital technology.
Transparency, openness, verification and reproducibility are important features of research and innovation. Open research helps to support and uphold these features across the whole lifecycle of research – improving public value, research integrity, reuse and innovation.
Open research also helps to support collaboration within and across disciplines. It is integral to a healthy research culture and environment.” UKRI
Open Research in terms of dissemination of research, often referred to as “Open Access” is the unrestricted access via the internet to peer reviewed scholarly research. Open Access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, made available through the internet, including for those who do not have access to personal or institutional subscriptions to journals, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
At the University of Northampton we make our research openly available through our Institutional Repository.
This includes:
- Journal Articles
- Conference Proceedings
- Book Chapters
- Monographs
- Research Data
- Educational Resources
- Computer Coding
An advantage of OA over traditional publishing models is the higher impact and visibility of research, since that research reaches a wider audience. Research that is open access can therefore result in increased collaboration opportunities and citation impact.
A brief introduction to Open Access:
- Open Access Explained! by PHD TV
- What is Open Access? by SHB online