Open in disseminating and publishing research

Open access publishing means making research outputs freely available online with as few restrictions as possible. The dissemination of research outputs of different kinds - journal articles, chapters and books but also preprints, software and data - increases the reach and impact of research.

There are many publication and dissemination options, depending on the nature of the material being shared. Publications should be openly available and openly licensed wherever possible. Where appropriate, the use of preprints can provide rapid access to research results. The Concordat to Support Research Integrity, to which the University is a signatory, emphasises the importance of transparency and open communication in research, including publication of negative or null results.

What are persistent identifiers?

A persistent identifier is a long-lasting reference to a digital resource, serving as a unique label for entities such as people, places, or objects. Unlike URLs, which may break over time, persistent identifiers consistently point to digital entities. An ORCID® iD is a specific type of persistent identifier that uniquely distinguishes you from other researchers. It enhances the visibility of your research, making it easier for others in the academic community to discover your contributions.

You may be familiar with DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers), which provide persistent identifiers for journal articles, books, datasets and other research outputs. These identifiers support the FAIR principles by making research outputs more findable, accessible, and reusable, while ensuring seamless integration across different systems for greater interoperability.

Putting it into practice

Explore these internal and external resources to learn how to engage with diverse open research practices at the dissemination phase of your research. The goal of this section is to empower you with the confidence to engage in at least one new open research practice.

Open access publications

The aim is to make research outputs available as widely as possible, with as few restrictions as possible, so that knowledge is accessible for all. Find out more about the benefits of open access publication and your publication options.

Preprints

A preprint is a version of a scholarly paper that has not yet been through the peer review process. This short animation introduces the open research practice of preprints, and why it is important.

Open access monographs and long form publications

Recent changes in open access include increasing support from funders and institutions for making these works freely available. Discover how to publish a monograph or long form publication to reach a wider audience.

Open Peer Review

Open peer review enhances transparency in the traditional peer review process by incorporating modifications such as the public disclosure of reviewer identities and their comments. Find out more about the rise of this practice.

Repositories

Repositories play a vital role in advancing open research by providing platforms for preservation and dissemination. The University of Leeds repository for research outputs is White Rose Research Online (WRRO).

Data repositories

A storage space for researchers to deposit data associated with their research, open access repositories provide unrestricted access. You can use the FAIRsharing site to search for a suitable repository that meets journal and funder requirements.

Copyright

Is a legal concept that gives the creator of an original work rights to its use and distribution. Visit the Library’s site for copyright basics including what to consider when publishing your work or using third party material in research.

Open licenses

Disseminating your research with an open license where possible is critical to putting open research into practice. It ensures your research is accessible, reusable and increases its impact. Find out more about Creative Commons licences for your outputs.

Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others. Discover how to create your own OERs.

Training and development opportunities

Below is a curated list of resources to develop your learning in open research practices and considerations at the dissemination stage of a project.

Open to everyone

Erasmus University Rotterdam Open Science MOOC: This course consists of 8 modules that cover the most common open science practices, including open access and open data.
The University of Leeds hosts the "Open Lunch" webinar series, featuring internal and external open research experts. Future events will be on the Open Research Leeds calendar and you can watch recordings from past events on the Library blog.
The UK Research Integrity Office holds regular webinars on research integrity and related issues, including publishing practices and open research.

University of Leeds specific

Staff and PGR workshops: Sign up for our range of workshops or access recordings from previous events hosted by the Library, including topics such as an introduction to open research practices, where to publish and research output management systems.
Contact email for more information and support: [email protected]

Examples of good practice

Why is Open Access important?

Short video interview with three University of Leeds researchers explaining why they support open access publishing.

Featuring Dr Alaric Hall (School of English), Professor Helen Gleeson (School of Physics and Astronomy) and Dr Robin Lovelace (Institute for Transport Studies).

You can watch the full interviews on YouTube.

Open Research Europe: open and transparent publication with F1000

Open Lunch event, featuring two speakers Kelly Woods (a publisher at F1000) and Patricia Ternes Dallagnollo (a Research Software Engineer at the University of Leeds).

Kelly introduces the Open Research Europe publishing platform, designed for European Commission-funded researchers to quickly share their findings, including negative or null results. This platform is part of several initiatives by F1000, including Wellcome Open Research and Gates Open Research.

Patricia followed with a case study showcasing her publishing experience on the platform and how it integrates with her open practices using GitHub and the Zenodo repository for source code. Jessica Clarke, European Research Development Officer, introduced and chaired the event.

Read the blog summary and access the webinar recording.

Preprints & open peer review in different disciplines

Open Lunch webinar with talks from two researchers from very different disciplines, Professor of Linguistics Cecile De Cat and astrophysicist Dr Christopher Wareing, who led an engaging discussion about preprints in their respective disciplines.

Read the blog and access the webinar recording here.

Further resources and tools

There are numerous resources available to support your open research practice and the following tools have been curated to help you take them to the next level.

Resources

Preprints: a Primer from UKRN: Useful summary of preprints, including a list of preprint servers across different disciplines.
Use the Sherpa Services platform to check the open access requirements for your funder, typically by publishing in open access journals or depositing in open repositories.
White Rose University Press (WRUP) is a non-profit, open access digital publisher. For scholars based at one of the partner Universities of Leeds, Sheffield or York, WRUP has a waiver fund to help subsidise some or all of the processing charge.
Responsible Metrics and DORA (Declaration on Research Assessment): DORA’s mission is to advance practical and robust approaches to research assessment globally and across all scholarly disciplines. The University of Leeds position is summarised in a Responsible Research Metrics Statement.
Research Uncovered Podcast: Focuses on ideas, approaches and learning to create a Research Culture in which everyone can thrive, including episodes on open research topics.
The White Rose Libraries OER toolkit offers guidance and tools for creating accessible, high-quality educational materials to promote open and inclusive education. The University of Leeds library also contains a quick guide to creating your own OERs.
Listen to the Preprints in Motion podcast, where early-career researchers share their latest preprints, career journeys, and deep dives into open science.

Tools

Symplectic: The University of Leeds system for recording and uploading research outputs. It is a requirement of the University Publications Policy that Leeds based researchers deposit all their research outputs here.
Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines are a recognised standard and widely used metric for implementing open research practices. The TOP Factor tool allows you to quickly identify journals committed to these practices and provides an alternative way to assess journal qualities.
F1000Research: An open research publishing Platform for researchers in all subject areas.
University of Leeds repositories: Research Data Leeds and the Restricted Access Data Repository.
Zenodo is a general-purpose repository and pilot open repository for EU-funded research outputs from Horizon Europe, Euratom and earlier Framework Programmes.