AU Library offers a range of services that support open science, and provides access to tools for such things as open data management (for example, in connection with the publication, storage and visualisation of data) and open educational resources.
AU Library supports good data management practice at Aarhus University. The Library supports researchers and students with the management of research data, supervision, planning and the sharing of data throughout the research process.
LOAR (Library Open Access research data Repository) is the Royal Library's own open repository where it is possible to upload up to 10 gigabytes of data free of charge, and which will then be saved for a five-year period, with free access for searches and downloads, depending on the license that is applied on the reuse of data.
It is also possible to enter into agreements on long-term storage and the storage of large amounts of data.
Find data and see correlations with MeLOAR
MeLOAR is a search engine that retrieves data from LOAR, and a visualisation tool for large scientific datasets. MeLOAR not only enables searches for keywords but also for the geographical location of research data and other metadata.
The search not only present the results, but also the documents, and pinpoints the location and highlights the places where the searched for items are appearing.
The tool is particularly useful for researchers, as MeLOAR allows you to quickly identify whether the articles found are relevant to your research.
Open Journal Systems (OJS) is a publishing platform for the publication of electronic journals which Aarhus University Library primarily offers to journal editors affiliated with the university. OJS can handle both editorial workflow - communication between editors, reviewers and authors - as well as the final online publication. Publications are published on the tidsskrift.dk platform.
Read more about OJS.
As an employee at Aarhus University, you can publish your PhD dissertation, proceedings, working papers etc. through our open publishing platform OMP (Open Monograph Press).
The offer is intended for manuscripts which, for one reason or another, do not find their way to the established publishers.
Read more about the OMP offer.
Open access is open and free of cost access to publicly funded research, i.e. free access to read and use scientific information, including the possibility of downloading scientific publications. Aarhus University has its own open access policy and supports the national Open Access strategy.
Open access offers access to published research results for everyone. Access does not depend on whether you subscribe to a journal, either personally or via the library.
Open access publication
If you want to make your research openly available, there are many possibilities. However, please note that foundations and publisers may have different policies.
AU Library provides guidance on what is permitted, and how to publish open science. The Research Support Office at AU also provides assistance and guidance on requirements from foundations, particularly in connection with EU applications.
Publishers and open access publication
Publishers offer different options for publishing open access, but these often vary from journal to journal.
AU Library can help you assess whether you can archive an open access version of your article in Pure. Read more about open access enrichment.
Foundations with focus on open access
Foundations that award grants for research projects often recommend or require publications to be published open access. Some foundations also require FAIR data in the form of a data management plan, and/or that the data be archived:
See an international overview of guidelines from foundations.
Read more about open access, Aarhus University's Open Access policy and get answers to frequently asked questions, and learn how AU Library can help you as a researcher.
The sharing of data is one of the driving forces behind the open science mindset. Be aware of any requirements from foundations and publishers to publish open data. Here are some examples of what the requirements may look like:
Read more about where you can search for open data and where you can publish data.
Overview of the data policies of foundations and publishers
Data policies from individual foundations
Horizon 2020
Data policies from individual publishing houses
OER stands for Open Educational Resources, and consists of collections and platforms with learning resources that are open and can be shared under, for example, a CC license. OER is part of open science, which focuses on equal access to learning.
An OER can cover a specific subject area, but may also be a wider platform for a specific target group.
- For example, if you would like to learn about open research tools, you can find webinars and tutorials at Data Carpentry.
- Learninglib is another example of an OER where education and research libraries share learning objects within the teaching of information competencies, source criticism, reference management and much more.
- The Danish project Studerendes Digitale Akademiske Kompetencer (STAK) [Students’ digital academic competencies] has also developed an OER (prototype) with knowledge and activities to develop your teaching. The STAK project is aimed at higher education institutions.
An example of a subject-specific OER is the Nordic University Health Hub, which covers the medical field in the Nordic countries and is a collaboration between a number of Scandinavian universities. This resource is made with OERCommons, which is a global platform for the development of open learning resources.
What is citizen science?
Citizen science is another way of conducting open science and a research approach, which is becoming increasingly widespread. Citizen science is often described as projects, where volunteers are actively involved in research projects that generate new science or increase understanding.
By involving volunteers in data collection, researchers can access much larger volumes of data than they can procure on their own. Citizens can exert a greater influence on which research questions should be prioritised. Volunteers will often choose to participate from a personal interest in the project.
Citizen science has gained attention in the decision-making circles with an expectation that the method can result in a greater scientific and societal impact. Citizen science emphasises the communication of research results and processes to the public, which makes it a common platform for the encounter between researcher and citizen. As a method, it encourages citizen participation and democratic education.
Citizen science at Aarhus University
Researchers from Aarhus University are involved in a number of Citizen science projects, with new ones emerging all the time.
Would you like to meet other researchers from Aarhus University, who are interested in or working with citizen science? If so, become part of the AU Citizen Science network. At the network meetings, you can discuss your thoughts and ideas with other researchers who have experience with citizen science projects. Sign up for the mailing list at AU Citizen Science and get information about meetings and activities.
Support from AU Library
AU Library supports good data management practices for researchers and students. We teach PhD students about handling data and support researchers on how to archive, visualize, and share data.
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