Practise open research
- Preregister your research plans for clinical trials in:
- psychology
- medical sciences
- social sciences
- governance and politics
- other disciplines
- or find a platform via the WHO registry network.
- Set up agreements with collaborators to make all joint work open.
- Get copyright advice prior to negotiating with publishers.
- Contact our Copyright and Information Policy Officer for assistance.
- Use open source code and software for data collection, processing and analysis to enable others to reproduce your work
Contact eResearch Services for advice.
- Use infrastructure that easily and securely allows the sharing of data and analysis with other researchers
Contact eResearch Services for advice.
- Use open data available from government and research organisations
- Make the data you collect, use or generate Findable Accessible Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR)
Read about FAIR data.
The University supports the academic freedom of researchers to pursue new knowledge, and to choose the best means of dissemination; but within that free choice, the University encourages researchers to make their research outputs and, where appropriate, the accompanying data, “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”.
- Publish in open access journals or books
- Check our Read and publish agreements for APC free options.
- Post pre-peer reviewed manuscripts to preprint servers:
Read more about pre-prints in Nature.
- Deposit your research outputs in Symplectic Elements to make them FAIR via the University repository, Griffith Research Online ( GRO ).
- Deposit creative works directly to Griffith's Creative Works platform.
- Share data via mediated, secure and ethical methods using:
- Share data and code via open repositories:
- Share your research findings in open news sources or social media:
- Write for The Conversation.
- Participate in media broadcasts as an expert commentator:
- Get advice from the Media and Communications team.
Reproducible research
Ensure your research can be successfully replicated by others, work through this checklist:
- Data quality - record your data using "tidy data" (Wickham, 2014) principles, so that every element can be easily processed and analysed.
- Documentation - Document your study's procedures, allowing others to understand and reproduce your findings. Record in an open text format.
- File naming - Establish a consistent naming convention at the start of your project. Name files consistently and logically to enhance retrieval.
- Folder structure - Create a standard folder structure for organising files. Prefix folders by number to reflect your workflow steps. Record the folder structure in a README.txt file.
- Automation - Automate repetitive tasks (including spreadsheet macros, reusable scripts, and programming pipes and loops) to save time and reduce potential errors.
- Version control - Incorporate a system that allows you to keep track of changes to your data, files or processes. Keep master files separate and use copies of the data for processing.
- Cloud backups - Keep a copy of your data (working, raw and completed) in cloud-based storage. Compare the different Griffith Research Storage options.
- Security - Establish strong passwords and use a password manager. Encrypt your computer’s hard drive and connect to the Griffith network using VPN when off-campus.
- De-identification - De-identify or separate sensitive data early, to protect participants privacy, vulnerable species or locations. Replace identifiers with codes or keys.
- Object IDs - Assign a DOI to completed research data, publications, and other outputs to make discoverable.
Publish Open Access
Find quality open access options available to researchers.
Common concerns
What about copyright?
Use a Creative Commons licence or other copyright licences that allow you to retain copyright and share your work openly, maximising re-use while requiring that your work is appropriately attributed and cited.
Will I have to pay an Article Processing Charge?
Only if you choose a publisher with this business model. Search the Directory of Open Access Journals to find publishers that don't have an APC , or those with a Read and publish agreement. Alternatively, deposit your research outputs in Symplectic Elements to make visible in GRO.
My data is sensitive
Some data may never be shared due to risks to privacy, although with appropriate measures in place, most sensitive data can be shared. To share sensitive data responsibly, you must obtain participants’ informed consent. Get practical guidance on protecting personal information in research studies from the Research ethics manual and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Manage your risk of disclosure via the Five Safes Framework, used by organisations such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Want to take it further?
You can contribute to open research by:
- Starting or participating in an open access journal, or nominate yourself as a reviewer.
- Joining the open research community or the Australia and New Zealand Open Research Network ( ANZORN ).
- Learning about open research infrastructure and EU open science initiatives.
Ask the library
We are here to help!
Find us in the libraries or contact us by phone or online.
Copyright matters
Find information and support for all aspects of your copyright compliance obligations.
eResearch services
For help with your research technology, data science and technical infrastructure needs.
Office for research
For help with research grant funding opportunities, ethical and IP matters.
Workshops
Attend a workshop targeted to support you throughout the research lifecycle.
Griffith research online
Make your research visible and open using the University repository.