The RECODE project recommendations for Open Access to Research Data are now available

The RECODE project identified two overarching issues that are inhibiting take-up of policies related to open access to research data: a lack of a coherent open data ecosystem; and a lack of attention to the specificity of research practices, processes and forms of data collections.

Against this background, the report provides policy recommendations on open access to research data targeted at key stakeholders in promoting open access: research funders; data managers; research institutions; and publishers. These recommendations will assist the above stakeholders in furthering the goals of open access to research data in each of their organizations and networks.

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Policy guidelines for open access and data dissemination and preservation

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Developing open access to research data in a way that is informed by awareness of differences in research practices within and between disciplines and characterised by a partnership approach among key stakeholders helps to ensure engagement from the wide range of research communities and to better embed it within research practice and process. As such, the development of open access to research data needs to be:
– Characterised by a partnership approach involving the key stakeholders, researchers, and institutions
– Supported by an integrated institutional and technological data infrastructure
– Guided by ethical and regulatory frameworks
– Informed by research practices and processes in different fields

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The policy recommendations presented here are informed by these overall findings as well as a series of horizontal analyses of the RECODE case studies in relation to four grand challenges:
– Stakeholder values and ecosystems
– Technological and infrastructural issues
– Legal and ethical issues, and
– Institutional and policy issues.

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