Introduction to Scholarly Sharing
What is scholarly sharing?
Scholarly sharing is the act of making a research output (e.g. article, chapter, data, figure, course material, software, etc.) available to the public, and can occur prior to, in conjunction with, and after publication. Sometimes sharing is dictated by a funder, or it can be a personal choice you make.
Why share?
- Increase the impact of your research
- Boost reproducibility/replicability through transparency
- Open new channels of funding and recognition
- Foster collaboration and conversation
- Generate new insights
- Lower barriers to conducting research
- Increase public involvement, interest, and investment in academic knowledge
Before you share
Not all scholarly outputs should be made open. Before you decide to share your work, ask yourself:
- Does your work contain sensitive information about vulnerable populations?
- Are there any ethical considerations (policies, agreements) governing your ability to share your work?
- How could your work be (mis)interpreted by a wider audience?
A helpful phrase when sharing is: as open as possible, as closed as necessary.
This guide provides an overview of how to get started sharing your research output, including how to choose a sharing platform or repository, providing clarity of reuse for others through licenses, and opportunities for sharing research ideas in non-traditional formats. For more information or assistance, contact the Open Knowledge Center (OKC).
Many thanks to Allison Kittinger for creating the contents of this guide!
