Open Science

Using open materials responsibly

In this guide, we went through the fundamental concepts of Open Science, and how researchers can produce open scholarly resources from research conceptualization to dissemination of results. As the research process is a continuous cycle rather than a one-way linear progression, the terms “reusability” and “reproducibility” have a prominent position in Open Science. When researchers consider generating new ideas for their upcoming projects with open resources or reusing existing data in their projects, the below presents a list of recommendations for using open scholarly resources responsibly: 

 

1. Assess the credibility of the information 

Open Science advocates “openness” that eases the accessibility of scholarly information over the Internet, especially in non-traditional sources like blogs, social media and public video streaming platforms. These locations often have a higher risk of encountering misinformation and disinformation. It is important for us to assess the reliability and credibility of any type of open materials before use. 

Although there is no single checklist applicable for all types of information, the below listed a few example questions that you may adopt in your assessment: 

The material

Is the material associated with any peer-reviewed publication?  Are the primary data associated with the results and/or codes used to generate the results also open-source?  Are all fields and parameters clearly defined?  Is the result reproducible? Can you interact with the data and results? Have others reported being able to reproduce the results?

The source

Does the host website’s URL look suspicious to you? Some examples of common internet domains are:  .com = commercial site  .gov = governmental site  .org = non-profit organization site  .edu = educational site  Is the author reliable? Have you seen them publish or share results in other locations/platforms?  Is the author a member of the field?  Does the post/result have a significant number of likes, views, or reposts and anyone commented on it?

More Resources: 

The Monash University Library Guide on Evaluating Information 

The University of York Library Guide on Evaluating Information 

 

2. Follow the author/contributor guidelines 

Misuse and incautious sharing of open materials can lead to harmful effects. When you are reusing any existing open data or open material, you should ensure that any relevant contributor guidelines for the use of the data are followed. For research data, codes and open-source software, the author or contributor guidelines can often be found in the documentation or in a README text file. 

 

3. Comply with the licensing policies 

You should understand and abide by the license(s) associated with the open results materials being used. It is common that open materials like scholarly articles, data and codes, are shared openly under open licenses, and different types of licenses grant users different levels of freedom in using the materials.  

More details of the terms of Creative Commons licenses 

More information on licenses for Open-Source Software 

 

4. Provide proper attribution 

It is an important and ethical responsibility to provide appropriate attribution to those who created and contributed to the open materials. Credits to the authors and contributors are often given via citations. 

 

5. Avoid plagiarism when using open materials 

Academic honesty and research integrity must be strictly adhered to. Plagiarism must also be avoided when using materials that are shared openly and freely accessible. 

Learn more on what is plagiarism and the relevant university policies and regulations