This practical article presents findings of a small scale study undertaken at a large U.K. University. The purpose of the study was to encourage academic engagement with Open Access (OA) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) mandate with the measurable impact being increased engagement with the Repository and dissemination of research while circulating information to the wider community. In order to promote research, a series of “Focus on” webpages were created aligned to a particular theme and were then disseminated via social media. It was anticipated that by potentially increasing access to research outputs, academic staff would be motivated to make their work available following OA models and use the institutional repository (IR) as a means to achieve this. The main drivers for the study were the Finch Report, the HEFCE Policy for open access in the post-2014 Research Excellence Framework and the institutional strategy for research. Data was collected through a statistical analysis of both the “Focus on” pages and journal article downloads via the IR, with results indicating increased engagement with the IR making research openly accessible.

This is an introductory guide for those working and considering working in the area of open research. It was drafted by members of the Open Research Competencies Coalition. There are many resources available on the topic of open research either aimed at those working in open research roles or more generally on open research practices. A list is included in the document.

The Wikimedia projects, like Wikipedia and Wikidata, are some of the most visited informational websites on the internet, with around 25 billion page views each month. They help make research widely visible by citing and linking to the original sources. As more research is freely licensed, using Wikimedia platforms can greatly expand its reach. Major information sources, such as search engines and AI chatbots, also use data from Wikipedia and Wikidata.These platforms allow for contextualizing and remixing content. When researchers share figures, code, and data sets, online communities can translate them, combine them with other research, or use them in Wikipedia articles and educational materials. This openness makes the research process more transparent and verifiable. Additionally, Wikimedia projects ensure the long-term preservation and versioning of these shared materials. In this way Wikimedia extends the principles and practices of openness described in other UKRN Primers on Data sharing, Open Access, and Open code and software.

The UNESCO Recommendations for Open Science define it as an inclusive framework that integrates movements and practices aimed at making multilingual scientific knowledge openly accessible, reusable, and collaborative for the benefit of science and society. This approach emphasizes transparency, collaboration, rigor, and accessibility, principles that align closely with qualitative research methodologies. In the health and social sciences, qualitative methods explore the meanings, experiences, and perspectives of individuals and groups. Open qualitative research encompasses diverse practices, including transparency in design and analysis, enabling meaningful scrutiny, and fostering collaboration through stakeholder engagement and co-production. The application of openness in qualitative research varies based on the context and specific project needs.