Open Science Policy
On October 2, 2024, the President of Stockholm University adopted Open Science Policy (dnr SU FV-3042-24).
Responsible unit: Stockholm University Library
Contact: Sabina Anderberg
Description
The Open Science Policy at Stockholm University outlines the university's overall objectives in the transition to an open scientific system. The policy is accompanied by the document Open Science Plan.
Introduction
Stockholm University's Open Science Policy outlines the overarching strategic objectives for the university within an open scientific system. The policy applies to all employees and concerns anyone publishing research results as part of their employment. The University Library is responsible for the governing document, its annual review, and follow-up.
Background
Open science is a concept that includes open access to publications, open research data, opensource code, open educational resources, and citizen science (where the public participates in and contributes to research). Open science means that scientific work is transparent, accessible, and reusable for research, innovation, and development.
The FAIR principles are a set of guiding concepts that strive to make research information as searchable, accessible, interoperable and reusable as possible. Proper documentation and secure information management by all researchers form the foundation for solid research, ensuring that the research process can be as “open as possible and as restricted as necessary”.
The government's vision is for Swedish higher education institutions to have transitioned to an open science system by 2026. In March 2021, the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) presented the Roadmap for Open Science (REK 2021:1) at the federation's assembly meeting. The roadmap includes overarching recommendations for the actions that need to be taken and the competencies that need to be established at the institutions to achieve an open science system. As a complement to the roadmap, there is the Guide for Implementation of the Roadmap for Open Science. In January 2024, the National Guidelines for Open Science were published. Stockholm University's Open Science Policy is based on SUHF's recommendations and the national guidelines for open science. The national guidelines were developed by the National Library of Sweden on the request of the government.
Policy
Stockholm University's open science policy can be summarized by the following key objectives:
- The university's research and educational environments support, encourage, and educate about open science.
- The university offers and develops central services and support within a local infrastructure to meet researchers' needs throughout the research process.
- The university promotes a culture of sharing educational resources by encouraging the creation, sharing, and use of open educational resources.
- The university's research outputs, data, and source code are published under open licenses whenever possible.
- The university ensures that research outputs, data, and source code are managed, published, preserved, and disposed of according to the FAIR principles and established open-source guidelines, while ensuring information security throughout the research process in line with the university's information security policy.
- The university encourages collaboration and participation in national and international initiatives that promote sustainable development in open science.
- The university fosters an incentive structure that values and promotes open science as an integral part of research evaluation methods.
- The university contributes to integrating citizen science into the research process in a responsible and sustainable way when appropriate, to engage with the broader society.
Division of responsibilities
Stockholm University is responsible for supporting and informing its researchers to ensure they can conduct research of the highest quality and impact within the evolving open scientific system. This responsibility includes providing a local infrastructure that supports and facilitates the correct handling, storage, accessibility, and preservation of research outputs and data. The university must ensure that appropriate services, support, and frameworks are offered and continuously developed.
Individual researchers are responsible for conducting their research in accordance with the university's open science objectives. Each researcher is expected to stay informed about the implications of an open science system and, when needed, seek advice and use the central support services offered by the university. Researchers are accountable for ensuring that their research outputs and related research information are handled, made accessible, and preserved in a manner that is compliant with current legislation, ethical research principles, and the university's governing documents.
The accompanying document, Open Science Plan, clarifies how the university will achieve the goals set forth in the policy. Practical information regarding open science (storage, management, publishing agreements, licensing information, publication, archiving, funding, advisory services, etc.) is available on the university's staff web pages.
