Open research at the University of Bath: awareness, use, and pathways to engagement

Preprint

Open Research (also known as Open Science or Open Scholarship) is a movement underpinned by a set of principles of transparency and openness to make research accessible to broader audiences, including the public, and increase trust in research. Encouraging certain Open Research (OR) practices has been a key focus of the UK government in the last decade to spur innovation and economic growth (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2012) as well as of research funding bodies such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The University of Bath survey on OR practices ran through November and December 2022 for a period of three weeks. It was distributed to all academic staff and postgraduate research students (PGRs). Questions aimed to assess current levels of awareness and use of OR practices as well as researcher concerns about engaging in OR. Researchers were also asked how the university can help to bridge the gap between awareness and use.

The survey was split in two sections. The first part investigated awareness and use of OR practices more generally, and the second – optional – section asked questions about specific OR practices: (i) preregistration, (ii) open materials and code, (iii) open data, (iv) preprints and (v) open access publication.

A total of 232 respondents completed the survey. The optional part of the survey received a total of 118 responses.

Authors: Swierczynski, J; Hobbs, C; Vance, F; Ellis, DA; Button, KS

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Not peer reviewed
• Preprint server: PsyArXiv
• Publication date: 2025-04-02
• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/vap8q_v1
• Language: English