How can Editors encourage Open Research Practices?

"‘Open research’ (used interchangeably with ‘open science’) is an all-encompassing term speaking to the set of practices that aim to improve the accessibility, reproducibility, and integrity of research outputs. It’s also complex, spanning issues such as open access, open practices that increase the integrity and reproducibility of research (e.g., Registered Reports, open data and code), open collaboration, and open recognition (e.g. transparent peer review and CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy).

So, what do researchers think about open research? We invited researchers to participate in Wiley’s Open Research Survey to share their views and experiences of open research practices. It’s clear from our findings that researchers welcome open research initiatives in terms of their motivation for publishing open access, willingness to share data and to experiment with opening up the peer review process (see overview below for more detail).

Recent studies have shown that articles that are freely available obtain more citations and are downloaded more often. Institutions are beginning to reward and recognise open research practices, especially in recruitment and for promotion. Funders are also requiring that researchers publish open access and share data (for example, Horizon Europe).

Open research isn’t the future – it’s the here and now, and journal editors have a vital role to play in facilitating open research and open publishing practices alongside researchers, institutions, funders, and publishers. Editors can play their part by supporting open access publishing, adopting Registered Reports, adopting open data policies and data availability statements, recognizing and celebrating open research practices such as displaying open research badges on published articles, and opening up peer review. If you want to implement one or more of these initiatives on your journal, please speak with your Wiley Journal Publishing Manager...."