Principles of openness in research
A key objective is that research should be as open as possible, and as closed as necessary. This is based on the international FAIR principles, which state that research data should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable, to the extent that this is ethically and legally justified.
National and international policies and requirements
Open science is anchored in national and international policies and requirements. Norwegian authorities aim for publicly funded research to be openly accessible, and major funders require both open publishing and the sharing of research data. Through Plan S, a coalition of research funders works to ensure that scientific publications are immediately openly accessible. This means, among other things, that research funded by the Research Council of Norway and EU programmes such as Horizon Europe must be published with open access, and that research data should be made available to the greatest extent possible.
External resources
- The Research Council of Norway’s Policy for Open Science
- National goals and guidelines for open access to scientific articles
- National strategy for access to and sharing of research data
- Towards Responsible Publishing: A proposal from Coalition S
Responsible evaluation of research
Open science is closely linked to how research is assessed and rewarded. In recent years, there has been increasing attention to the need to evaluate research more broadly than through publication channels and quantitative indicators alone. Instead, greater emphasis is placed on the quality, openness, and contributions of research to the research community. This includes practices such as open data sharing, collaboration, and other approaches that promote transparency and reproducibility in research. At Østfold University of Applied Sciences, this is reflected in efforts to develop more comprehensive assessments of researchers’ competencies and contributions, including through the university’s Career Assessment Matrices.
External resources
- DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment)
- Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA)
- NOR-CAM guidelines
At Østfold University of Applied Sciences
At Østfold University of Applied Sciences, open science is anchored in institutional guidelines and principles that clarify responsibilities and expectations related to publishing and the management of research data. The university has also implemented a Rights Retention Strategy that makes it easier to make scientific articles openly available through self-archiving.