Lancaster University Library has published a new toolkit supporting staff and students to engage with Open Research.

The resource is designed to give all researchers from any discipline and career stage an introduction to Open Research and the support available through Open Research Services at the Library.

Open Research champions the idea that all types of research outputs including data and other research materials should be shared as freely and early as possible in the research cycle, both within and beyond academia.

What are the benefits?

Open Research has several benefits including creating more equitable access to knowledge, improving the transparency and integrity of research, and creating more opportunities for collaboration and innovation. Increasingly open practices are an essential condition of research grants as funders seek to maximise their return on investment and position research as a public good.

Support for staff and students

The Library has a dedicated team to support researchers at any career stage to engage with Open Research through the provision of services, systems, resources and training.

The Open Research toolkit is designed to be a helpful, everyday resource that will support staff and students to utilise the resources and support available through the Library. It covers a range of topics including explaining what Open Research is and how it can support research.

The toolkit has training and self-guided resources and also ideas for adopting Open Research practices including case studies demonstrating how open research practices can be applied.

Further information

Contact Tom Morley, Research Culture and Open Monographs Lead in the Library if you have any questions about the new toolkit.

The toolkit can be accessed on the Library webpages, and through the Library’s Open Research Training webpage.