6 Open Data
Many researchers may have questions regarding how their data will be shared when they engage with open access publishing. Here are some guidelines regarding open code and open data from PLOS:
Open code
Open code means ensuring custom, author-generated code used in a scientific research study is made publicly available under an open access license. Code can be shared in a linked repository or as Supporting Information alongside the published article.
Sharing code ensures your study is reproducible, and open to all for validation, collaboration and reuse. This can help you expand your influence to new disciplines and even earn more citations for your work.
We encourage all authors to share code that underpins their study’s findings, either within their research article or linked from a repository. For select PLOS journals, sharing author-generated code underlying their findings is required by our Open Code Policy.
Open data
Open data, or data sharing, means ensuring research data is incorporated into the permanent scientific record by releasing it under an open access license. Data can be shared in a purpose-built data repository or as Supporting Information alongside a published article.
Open data practices help make sure your data is aligned to the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). Sharing your data in a repository makes your data easier to discover, reuse, and cite for the long term.
All PLOS journals follow our Data Availability Policy which requires authors to make all data necessary to replicate their study’s findings publicly available without restriction at the time of publication.
Additionally, PLOS has a list of recommended repositories for data, software, and code here. Keep in mind that many funders may require open data to be published as per their guidelines too!
For further reading, see this article on some of the perceived barriers and solutions to sharing code and data.
