Open Science
The field of open science currently focuses mainly on open access to publications (Open Access, OA) and the sharing of research data according to the FAIR principles. We offer support in the form of consultations or training for academic units or research teams.
Open Access
Open Access is a publication method that ensures free, permanent and unrestricted access to scholarly outputs. These outputs can include peer-reviewed scholarly research publication results.
Open Access publishing models
There are two basic models for Open Access publishing; the choice is to be made with regard to the publisher's conditions. Open Access is achieved through so-called public licenses.
Green Open Access
Self-archiving of works in open repositories. In this model, the authors continue to publish in the traditional way in subscription-based or open journals, but at the same time store full texts in digital repositories. Open Access may be limited by the publisher’s licensing conditions.
If authors want to publish using the Green Open Access model, they must first find out the publisher’s conditions for self-archiving, either on the publisher’s website or using the Sherpa Romeo service.
To choose the right repository, the authors can use the OpenDOAR service. They can also take advantage of the MU Repository.
Gold Open Access
Publishing in open access journals. This method of publishing is provided by the publisher of an open access peer-reviewed journal in which the authors can publish their articles.
The basic step in publishing using the Gold Open Access model is to choose a suitable journal. There are several types of open journals for authors to choose from:
- Diamond/Platinum journals – the entire journal content is available free of charge, the financial costs are covered by the publisher of the journal. These are often journals produced by scholarly communities or university publishers.
- Paid open access journals – the entire content of the journal is available to readers free of charge; publication fee (also called APC) that covers the costs associated with publishing and peer-review are paid by the author.
- Hybrid journals – concerns publication in closed journals that will make the selected article available in Open Access mode after the author has paid the publication fee.
When searching for a suitable journal, authors can use the DOAJ service or contact us.
Creative Commons public licenses
Public licenses are the easiest way to ensure that a published work meets all the conditions and characteristics of Open Access, such as immediate access and reuse. The most common public licenses are Creative Commons providing the authors with six different variants of CC licenses to choose from.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
I want to publish in an open access journal, what can I do?
If authors decide to publish their article using the Gold Open Access model, the first step is to find an OA journal. To choose a suitable journal, they can use the DOAJ service. The service provides a list of open access peer-reviewed journals across all fields of science.
What should I do if I have an article published in a closed journal and I need to publish it in an Open Access model?
It is important to find out the conditions of the journal publisher for self-archiving, i.e., whether Green Open Access method of publishing is allowed. Authors can find this information using the Sherpa Romeo service or on the publisher’s website. Depending on these conditions, you can choose the right repository for storing your article. The OpenDOAR service can help you choose the repository.
If the publisher does not allow self-archiving, do not hesitate to contact us.
APC
Article Processing Charge (APC) represents the publisher’s costs associated with publishing an open access journal. APC must be usually paid by the author if they decide to publish using the Gold Open Access model. Masaryk University, as a member of the CzechELib consortium, is entitled to discounts on APC. For authors from Masaryk University, therefore, the APC is partly or fully covered for some publishers.
Terms of use and list of publishers for MU
Selected publishers providing APC discounts
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Wiley offers free Open Access publishing for limited number of articles (45 per year) from MU authors.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Who pays the APC?
The charge is paid by the author from the funds of the grant or the academic unit.
How much is the APC?
The amount of APC depends on several factors including the prestige of the journal and competition on the market. APC ranges from hundreds to thousands of EUR. The average price is about EUR 1,900 per article.
How do I find out how much the APC is?
The amount of the charge is mostly published on the publisher’s website.
FAIR/Open Data
Appropriate storage, sharing and publishing of research data is a condition that researchers and grant applicants are increasingly required to meet. Data can have different degrees of openness; making data available according to the FAIR principles does not mean making them automatically available to anyone. The aim is to follow the “as open as possible, as closed as necessary” principle.
FAIR data checklist MU Directive on Research Data
FAIR principles for data
The abbreviation FAIR indicates the four principles that data should comply with. Open access is not a requirement here – not all data can be made available, for example sensitive data. An important principle is also the right of first use belonging to the researcher or team that collected the data.
- Findable – easily searchable by humans and machines: stored in a suitable repository and described using quality metadata
- Accessible – clear information on the conditions and possibilities of using the data is provided
- Interoperable –data is stored in an open and standardized format and described using controlled dictionaries
- Reusable – metadata provide sufficient description of the context of the data: their license, origin, method of collection, explanation of abbreviations, naming and structure of files, SW used, etc.
Data Management Plan
A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a document describing the handling of data during a research project required by some funding providers (e.g., in Horizon Europe projects). The DMP is created by the author or research team in the initial phase of the research and is continuously updated.
The specific wording of the questions varies according to the grant provider, the basic areas are:
- data collection,
- description of data (documentation and metadata),
- legal and ethical issues,
- method of storage and access,
- a plan for deleting or long-term storage of data,
- data sharing plan,
- determining the responsibilities for each area.
There are tools for creating DMP available online. We can offer you basic assistance with using the Data Stewardship Wizard tool.
Useful links
- Zenodo: Repository for storing any type of file that is not specific to any field.
- Open Science Framework (OSF): Platform for working with research data during the entire research project, including its publication, as applicable.
- Data Stewardship Wizard: Freely available tool for creating Data Management Plans.
- Re3data: Registry of research data repositories that provides an easy overview of international data repositories and can help authors to select a suitable repository for their research data.