Choose open data

From the range of different options for sharing research data, an increasing number of researchers are choosing to make their data open. This allows maximum reuse of the dataset you’ve generated, enabling it to make as big an impact as possible.

What are open data?

These are data that have been deposited in a public repository under a CC BY or equivalent license. Therefore, not only are the data freely available for anyone to access but, crucially, they are also available for anyone to reuse for any lawful purpose.

Why choose open data?

Open data are encouraged or required by an increasing number of funders and publishers. (Sherpa-Juliet may help you find out whether your funder has an open data policy.) 

But even if you’re not mandated to, there’s a huge range of benefits that may convince you to make your data open.

Benefits of open data include:

  • Other researchers can build upon your research and validate your results. This in turn boosts the credibility and robustness of your research, furthering your career. According to one study, research papers with available data can generate up to 25% more citations.
  • It’s easier for others to reproduce your work because the underlying data is made available to them. This also enhances the visibility of your work and provides opportunities for collaboration.
  • It improves research integrity since there is greater transparency in the research process.
  • It accelerates the pace of discovery and streamlines the research workflow.
  • It helps secure research grants by complying with funder and institution data policies as they are increasingly supporting open research practices.
  • It helps increase public trust in science and supports the wider research agenda.
  • It improves the public’s understanding of research together with the value it provides, and ultimately, open data enables better real-world impact from academic research.

How to make your data open

  • Select a suitable repository.
    Repositories are online platforms for researchers to deposit datasets associated with their work. There is a wide range of data repositories to choose from.
    Please read our guide to choosing a repository that’s relevant to your discipline and which will enable you to make your data open.
  • Deposit your data and apply an open license.
    Your repository will usually ask you to select from a range of license choices to make your data available.
    Choose an open license, such as CC BY,  which will be added to the record for your dataset (its metadata). You can also add a license statement prominently within your dataset.

Choose open data with The Primary Education Journal 

We encourage making your data open as a publishing option. The Primary Education Journal specifically require that the data underlying an article should be open.

Before submitting to The Primary Education Journal please read the Instructions for Authors and check data sharing policy. You will need to make sure you’ve deposited your data in a repository under an open license as defined in Open data sharing policy. Accordingly authors must make their data freely available, under a license allowing reuse by any third party for any lawful purpose. Data shall be findable and fully accessible.