PLOS

Open Science in action / Get started with Open research practices

In our last issue, we discussed the expansion of Open Access to encompass more of the scientific research processes. This week, we’ll share ways for you to incorporate Open Science practices in your own research lifecycle.

“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.” — Albert Einstein

Support complete reporting and reproducibility

Preregister your study

Consider preregistering your research question and study design before you begin your investigation. Preregistration increases the credibility of your results, and facilitates reproducibility--plus it’s an easy way to establish priority for a new study. Read more about preregistration.

Accelerate scientific progress

Share your results early

Post a preprint to bioRxiv, medRxiv, or another preprint server in your area. Preprints let you open opportunities to collaborate, earn credit and get feedback early--even while your manuscript undergoes formal peer review at a journal. Read more about preprints.

Ensure long-term reproducibility

Publish data, methods and code

Uploading your datasets to an appropriate data repository ensures that it remains available to inform future research. Like data, the methods and tools used in your study are key to successful reproduction. Bench researchers can facilitate accurate reproduction by publishing protocols at protocols.io. Computational researchers can post their code to Code Ocean. Read more about publishing data.

Tip

Wondering how to peer review Open Datasets? Consult our guide.

Contextualize your research

Publish peer review history

Publishing peer reviews makes more expert opinions available to readers, puts publication decisions in context, and increases accountability throughout the assessment process while giving peer reviewers more opportunities to receive academic credit for their efforts. Read more about published peer review.

That’s not all... There’s a whole galaxy of Open projects, programs, and philosophies within Open Science. What all these concepts and tools have in common is their focus on improving the accuracy and ensuring the longevity of scientific research through clarity, transparency, and context.

We’ll be back in two weeks with another issue exploring ways to engage with Open Science beyond the publication process. Till then...

HAVE YOUR SAY

What elements of Open Science do you find most exciting? Anything that confuses you or gives you pause? Let us know!

Public Library of Science
1160 Battery St. Suite 225
San Francisco, CA 94111 US