The special report combines three data sources—Dimensions, Springer Nature Data Availability Statements (DAS), and the Chan Zuckerberg Data Citation Corpus (CZI DCC)—revealing “linkages between peer reviewed published research and datasets being made available.” “Bridging Policy and Practice in Data Sharing” analyzes how researchers decide to open their data, the standard they employ, and their motivations for sharing data to help “inform how we as a community can effect positive change.”

Findings

The report reveals the trends driving successful open sharing and the growth of global adoption. It is an effort to understand what motivates researchers to open their data and the effect of interventions. Identifying strategies that encourage greater data sharing will help funders, repositories, institutions, and publishers recognize what incentives to offer to encourage greater participation in open data efforts and how best to promote open data.

Co-author Mark Hahnel, VP of open research at Digital Science and founder of figshare, says the data indicates that “[o]pen research is now officially an inevitability. … [T]here is now more open publishing than closed. We’re now in a place where we consistently see around 2 million datasets being published every year. …”

Co-author Graham Smith, open data program manager at Springer Nature, explains that the aim of the report is “[t]o help open up the conversations we need to have around open data and research practices. Providing global data that helps to [recognize] and address the disparities in practice, we can identify as a sector the targeted and practical next steps needed to further accelerate the global adoption of open data practices. In doing so, we can foster a more equitable and accessible research ecosystem, where data sharing is valued, rewarded, and ultimately becomes a cornerstone of academic success—key if we are to move to a fully open science future.”

“Funders play a pivotal role in determining the level of open data compliance,” the report notes. Public funder mandates have led the way. While there are regional differences in researchers’ publications linking to open data, “more universities now have data sharing policies as part of their efforts to promote open science and research transparency,” according to the report’s press release. “[C]ountries with comprehensive open science policies may experience higher adoption rates, suggesting that clear national mandates and infrastructure support are critical incentives,” the report explains.

Suggestions

The report suggests ways the research community—funders, government agencies, repositories, institutions, publishers, and researchers—can bridge gaps between policy and practice, such as:

• Adopt a four-step process of change in research data policy, mandates, compliance, and measurement
• Address resource disparities that hinder data sharing, including internet connectivity, institutional support, and awareness
• Provide practical support, including training, user-friendly repositories, and more explicit data policies
• Tailor support and resources to address discipline-specific challenges
• Ensure these are sustained efforts, not simply a “quick fix”

The anonymized raw data and questionnaire for the State of Open Data 2024 report are available from figshare. Those interested in hearing more about the study can register for a Jan. 23, 2025, webinar.

The Previous Report

The annual State of Open Data survey seeks to understand the attitudes and behaviors of research authors regarding the sharing, reuse, and redistribution of openly available data. More than 6,000 researchers responded to the 2023 survey. Respondents also contributed thoughts on using artificial intelligence (AI) to collect and share data.

For 8 years of the study, researchers expressed a “perception that they don’t receive sufficient recognition for openly sharing their data. 60% of respondents said they receive too little credit for sharing their data,” Springer Nature noted of the 2023 survey. Released on Nov. 14, 2023, the 2023 report showed little change from previous surveys in terms of motivations for researchers to share their data, “with full citation of research papers or a data citation ranking highly. 89% of respondents also said they make their data available publicly, however almost three quarters of respondents had never received support with planning, managing or sharing research data,” according to Springer Nature.