Open Research in Practice

Actionable tips for Materials Scientists

Stavrina Dimosthenous

Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester

2024-10-22

What is Open Research

Definition

A set of principles and practices in publicly funded research that make it more transparent, accessible, inclusive, and collaborative, ensuring that research is freely available, under terms that enable attribution, reuse, redistribution and reproduction of the research and its underlying data and methods. [1], [2]

Aspects and application

Open Research extends across:

  • Open access
  • Data
  • Methodology
  • Open source
  • Peer review
  • Educational resources

Open Research Examples

Examples in Materials Science

Software

MTEX free and open-source MATLAB toolbox for texture analysis [3]

MTEX free and open-source MATLAB toolbox for texture analysis [3]

MatFlow, a framework for running reproducible computational materials workflows written in Python [4]

MatFlow, a framework for running reproducible computational materials workflows written in Python [4]

Datasets

Materials properties dataset [5], [6]

Materials properties dataset [5], [6]

Materials properties dataset [7]

Materials properties dataset [7]

Examples from elsewhere

Open-source (and free-ish) hardware

Mars Rover [8]

NASA JPL open-source Rover Project GitHub Repository https://github.com/nasa-jpl/open-source-rover

NASA JPL open-source Rover Project GitHub Repository https://github.com/nasa-jpl/open-source-rover

NASA JPL open-source Rover Project Documentation

NASA JPL open-source Rover Project Documentation

Examples from elsewhere

Free educational resources

Think Bayes by Allen B. Downey (2 edition)

Think Bayes by Allen B. Downey (2 edition)

The Version Control with Git Software Carpentry

The Version Control with Git Software Carpentry

Examples from publishers

Open peer-review

An article on Materials Open Research

An article on Materials Open Research

Why Open Research

Do I have to do open research?

Barriers

  1. It takes time
  2. It needs to be perfect
  3. I might get scooped
    • But!
  4. This does not contribute to my career advancement

What is in it for me?

It might be required

The EPSRC recognises the importance of sharing research data and the uniqueness of each project

The EPSRC policy framework on research data important principles

The EPSRC policy framework on research data important principles

Considerations

As open as possible

As closed as necessary

What is in it for me?

Shared data increases the richness of work and drives attention

Datasets published as supplementary information. Citations at 535 and 322 (Scopus), respectively, as at 2024-07-02 [9], [10]

What is in it for me?

Your next role might depend on your open research practices

Description of a role advertised at the University of Manchester highlighting commitment to Open Research in person specifications

What is in it for me?

Do you have the rights to your research?

Good for everyone

Good for you

How to do Open Research

What can you do right now?

  1. Register for ORCID
  2. Share your presentations openly
    • In a public repository
  3. Add a license to your presentation!

What can you do right now?

  1. Share your code and scripts on GitHub (with appropriate reuse licensing)
    • With accessible and rich documentation (or just good enough so that anyone can understand!)
      • They might just help someone else
    • Need help choosing a software license?

What can you do right now?

  1. Have a paper published closed access?
    • Never too late to share the Author Accepted Manuscript on a public repository. Like:
      1. Zenodo (general purpose)
      2. Figshare (general purpose)
      3. ResearchGate(!!)
      4. Check whether the journal you are publishing in has a pre-print to support Green Open Access
    • And do not forget Creative Commons Licensing!

ORCID

metadata.creators.person_or_org.identifiers.identifier:0000-0002-6199-5094

Search for the author on Zenodo

Search for the author on Zenodo

The author’s ORCID profile

The author’s ORCID profile

GitHub

The GitHub repository where this presentation is hosted

The GitHub repository where this presentation is hosted

A thought

Free books beget more free books in a way that conventional books don’t. Free books turn readers into writers.


Free books transform readers into proof-readers, editors, anthologists, correspondents, contributors, collaborators, writers and authors.[11]

Thank you

Questions?

References

[1]
FOSTER Open Science, “What is open science?” 2018. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.2629946. Available: https://www.fosteropenscience.eu/taxonomy/term/7
[2]
FOSTER Open Science, “Open science definition.” Available: https://www.fosteropenscience.eu/taxonomy/term/100
[3]
F. Bachmann, R. Hielscher, and H. Schaeben, “Texture analysis with MTEX – free and open source software toolbox,” Solid State Phenomena, vol. 160, pp. 63–68, Feb. 2010, doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/ssp.160.63
[4]
Adam Plowman, Peter Crowther, João Quinta da Fonseca, and Michael Atkinson, “LightForm-group/matflow: v0.2.27.” Zenodo, 2024. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.12545528
[5]
S. Gorsse, M. H. Nguyen, O. N. Senkov, and D. B. Miracle, “Database on the mechanical properties of high entropy alloys and complex concentrated alloys,” Data in Brief, vol. 21, pp. 2664–2678, Dec. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2018.11.111
[6]
S. Gorsse, M. H. Nguyen, O. N. Senkov, and D. B. Miracle, “Corrigendum to database on the mechanical properties of high entropy alloys and complex concentrated alloys, data in brief 21 (2018) 2664–2678,” Data in Brief, vol. 32, p. 106216, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106216
[7]
R. Machaka, G. T. Motsi, L. M. Raganya, P. M. Radingoana, and S. Chikosha, “Machine learning-based prediction of phases in high-entropy alloys: A data article,” Data in Brief, vol. 38, p. 107346, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2021.107346
[8]
“JPL open source rover project,” 2018. Available: https://github.com/nasa-jpl/open-source-rover
[9]
D. L. Olmsted, S. M. Foiles, and E. A. Holm, “Survey of computed grain boundary properties in face-centered cubic metals: I. Grain boundary energy,” Acta Materialia, vol. 57, no. 13, pp. 3694–3703, Aug. 2009, doi: 10.1016/j.actamat.2009.04.007
[10]
D. L. Olmsted, E. A. Holm, and S. M. Foiles, “Survey of computed grain boundary properties in face-centered cubic metals—II: Grain boundary mobility,” Acta Materialia, vol. 57, no. 13, pp. 3704–3713, Aug. 2009, doi: 10.1016/j.actamat.2009.04.015
[11]
A. B. Downey, “Free books, why not?” Available: https://greenteapress.com/free_books.html
[12]
FORRT - Framework for Open and Reproducible Research Training, “FORRT glossary - open science,” Jul. 2021. Available: https://forrt.org/glossary/open-science/
[13]
Jisc, “Open research.” Available: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/open-research
[14]
UKRI, “EPSRC Policy Framework on research data.” https://www.ukri.org/who-we-are/epsrc/our-policies-and-standards/policy-framework-on-research-data/, Nov. 09, 2023.
[15]
UKRI, “Principles of EPSRC research data policy framework.” https://www.ukri.org/who-we-are/epsrc/our-policies-and-standards/policy-framework-on-research-data/principles/, Mar. 31, 2022.
[16]
A. B. Downey, “Think bayes,” 2021. Available: https://allendowney.github.io/ThinkBayes2/

This work by Stavrina Dimosthenous is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0