Open Science

Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) is committed to open and transparent science, with the view that open science practices are an essential foundation for conducting high-quality research. Open science aims to improve several limitations in the traditional scientific research system, such as: restricted access to research results; data silos; slow dissemination of knowledge; and barriers to testing reproducibility.

Our open science practice emphasises the importance of transparency and integrity; collaboration; and the sharing of research processes and outcomes with the broader public and the global scientific community.  In adopting open science practices throughout the research process, BR-UK aims to enable our team of researchers and collaborators to accelerate scientific progress, improve the quality of our research, engage the public in our scientific processes and outputs, and increase the accessibility of our research reports.

Our open science reports are living documents and will be actively updated as methods and approaches evolve, and the capabilities of open science advance.

BR-UK’s key actions to promote open science include:

1. Open Access: We will make research protocols, findings, publications, and data (where appropriate) freely available to all. We will publish our protocols on the Open Science Framework (OSF), and make our research findings available in open-access journals. Beyond traditional journals and academic publishing platforms, we will aim for widespread dissemination of scientific knowledge and findings to ensure our research is accessible, for example, through blogs, briefings and updates on our websites and that of our partner organisations.
2. Open Data: We believe in sharing research data in a manner that allows others to access, reuse and build upon it. We encourage transparency, reproducibility, and the potential for new discoveries and innovations to be shared in real time.
3. Open Source: Where we develop and use open-source software and tools these will be freely available, and where appropriate, modifiable. This will enable collaboration and innovation in research software development.
4. Pre-registered Protocols: Our study protocols, the blueprints for our study methodology and data analysis plan, will be made available on OSF before the formal data analysis starts. Where deviations from the study methodology and data analysis occur, we will be transparent and share full details of how and why this happened.
5. Preprints: We will share research findings before they are peer-reviewed and published in traditional journals to enable rapid dissemination and gather feedback from the scientific community. For certain papers, we may not share them as preprints because we want to target specific journals that do not allow the submission of preprinted articles (although this is increasingly rare see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_academic_publishers_by_preprint_policy). For more FAQs on preprints: https://help.osf.io/article/230-preprint-faqs.
6. Citizen Science/Public Involvement: To ensure that our work is accessible and meaningful to diverse groups and embedded in contexts that are relevant to them, when possible and or appropriate we will employ participatory methods to ensure that we gain insights into public and stakeholder perspectives. We will develop effective methods for engaging and sustaining the public and other stakeholders including community mobilisation, citizen engagement and leadership.
7. Open Education: We will share any educational resources and materials freely to increase access to knowledge and education.
8. Collaboration: To promote a more interconnected and productive scientific community, we will encourage researchers to work together across disciplines, domains, sectors and geographical boundaries.