Making data and results accessible

Publishing results and making research data accessible are central elements of open science. Open publication and data sharing strengthen the transparency and quality of research. It also creates opportunities to reuse data in new research.

Publish research results

Part of good research practice is to publish and present methods, data and results in a transparent and accurate manner. When research results are published, they contribute to new knowledge in society and enable other researchers to further develop the field of research.

For universities, sharing knowledge is a central task, in addition to their main tasks of research and education.

Publicera med öppen tillgång

Scientific publications relating to research funded by public funds should be published with open access, that is, digitally and freely accessible to everyone.

Research results made accessible through open publishing can reach the general public and actors outside academia, enabling decisions based on scientific evidence. Researchers who communicate with the general public and other actors can also gain access to new perspectives and approaches.

Making research data accessible

Assessing the possibilities for making research data openly accessible is a natural part of the research process – based on the principle of ‘as open as possible, as closed as necessary’. In cases where research data cannot be made fully openly accessible, the data can still be made available to a certain extent, for example in the form of metadata.

Enabling research data to be made accessible and reused, good data management is important. Research data should be structured and documented according to the FAIR principles, that is: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.

The starting point is that research data shall be accessible at the latest when the research results are published, but in some cases there may be reasons for a certain delay.

To consider before making research data accessible

Before research data is made accessible, the interest in openness needs to be weighed against other interests, in particular those that arises from legal and ethical aspects. Consideration must also be given to various practical, technical and resource-related preconditions. This way, the data can be as open as possible without causing significant or disproportionate risks and is handled in compliance with legal rules or ethical principles.

Situations requiring special assessments

• Sensitive information may limit the possibility of making research information available and disseminating it. For example, personal data or information that is subject to a secrecy provision, the dissemination of which may entail risks or be unauthorised.
• In international research collaborations, special assessments are required for data management and data sharing.
• Copyright or other intellectual property rights may limit the ability to make certain research data accessible.

Making research data accessible in repositories

Research data can be made accessible in repositories, for example via the Swedish National Data Service (SND), which works to support the accessibility of research data in several scientific fields.

Research data made accessible in SND's research data catalogue also becomes findable in the Sveriges dataportal, together with data sets made accessible by both public and private organisations. In some cases, when the research has been conducted within the framework of international collaboration, repositories in other countries may be used.