Open science is an issue of worldwide importance, and a growing number of countries around the world have created guidelines for its practice. Now, in line with UNESCO's Recommendation Länk till annan webbplats., Sweden has also developed national guidelines for open science.

“With these guidelines, Sweden is taking a significant step towards further promoting open science. Openness and transparency strengthen scientific quality and trust in research. The opportunity to reproduce, critically examine and take part in research is increasing”, says Karin Grönvall, National Librarian.

The target audience for the guidelines is universities and colleges, research funders, as well as other agencies and organisations that conduct or fund research.

“The guidelines highlight common goals and priorities for further development. All actors in the research community are already doing a great deal to promote open science. With these national guidelines, we are taking a comprehensive approach and creating a common understanding, in order to be able to make even bigger strides forward”, says Erik Stattin, Project Manager and incoming Manager of the Research Collaboration Unit at KB.

The new guidelines provide a link between international recommendations and the work being carried out at the national level. They clarify that it is primarily higher education institutions and research funders that need to develop policies, infrastructure and guidance to support researchers in practicing open science.

The guidelines should foster better coordination among the actors who have the overall responsibility for the transition to open science. This includes, for example, the exchange of knowledge and experience as well as collaboration on monitoring and updating the guidelines.

English translations of the guidelines and report will be available later this year.

Summary of the guidelines

In the guidelines, six areas within open science are identified as particularly crucial to develop in Sweden:

• Open access to scholarly publications
• Open access to research data
• Open research methods
• Open Educational Resources
• Public engagement in science
• Infrastructures supporting open science
  

For each area, there are formulated goals and priorities that contribute to comprehensive and coordinated development.

The guidelines provide an overview of the key actors and their areas of responsibility. They identify, among other thing, the need for support and guidance, such as policies and strategies, education and training, as well as resources and targeted investments.

The guidelines are expanded upon in a report that provides a more comprehensive description of the current situation, limitations and the starting points for the guidelines. The report also includes references to investigations, recommendations and policies related to open science, both nationally and internationally.