Programme overview

Recording – Introduction to UK Reproducibility Network

The UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN; www.ukrn.org) aims to promote rigorous and transparent research practices through collaboration between researchers, institutions, funders, publishers and others. Its flagship Open Research Programme (ORP) aims to accelerate the uptake of high-quality open research practices. The ORP, which began in 2021 and runs until 2027, is:

• Building institutional capacity via a train-the-trainer project;
• Supporting institutions as they reform reward and recognition of open research practices;
• Enabling institutions by sharing and learning from policies and practices elsewhere;
• Providing institutions with evaluation tools to support planning;
• Developing a long-term management and sustainability model to continue this activity.

The different projects within the Open Research Programme are described in more detail below.

Why does this matter?

Open research allows for the wider sharing and re-use of research outputs in all their forms. This has both moral and practical value – the former, because our work is typically largely or exclusively funded by public money or charitable donations, and the latter because it allows for greater efficiency (e.g., secondary analysis of existing data).

We also believe that open research fosters research integrity and good practice (e.g., appropriate data curation – “your most important collaborator is yourself from 6 months ago, and that person doesn’t answer emails”), and allows for greater transparency in the overall research process. This transparency allows for assumptions and choices to be checked and errors detected.

The Open Research Programme is developing the tools – train-the-trainer courses, training workshops, survey and indicator measures of the uptake of open research practices over time, shared guidance on open research across disciplines, and coordinated incentives such as promotion criteria – to accelerate the uptake of open research. Now is the time to use these tools.

What do you need to do?

As a senior leader, speak to your UKRN Institutional Lead to see what support they need to either continue or join the Open Research Programme. If your institution is not yet a member of UKRN the process is very simple, and you will then be eligible to join the Open Research Programme. For more information visit our website, or contact us here.

As a researcher enabler (e.g., in the library team), speak to your Open Research Coordinator and Administrator if your institution is already a member of the Open Research Programme to find out what train-the-trainer courses are available.

As a researcher (e.g., postdoc, PI), speak to your Open Research Coordinator and Administrator if your institution is already a member of the Open Research Programme to find out what train-the-trainer courses, training workshops, and other activities (e.g., open research prizes) are available. Your institution may also have included open research practices in its promotion criteria.

Researchers and research-enablers may also wish to join your UKRN Local Network, a community of practice of researchers and research-enablers across disciplines and career stages.

If you’re not sure whether your institution is a member of UKRN you can check here to find out if you have an Institutional Lead and / or a Local Network Lead.

Train-the-trainer project

The availability of open research training varies across UK research institutions, and the training that exists is often self-directed and not permissively licensed. The train-the-trainer project addresses this by building staff skills in high quality open research practices through the development and delivery of train-the-trainer courses and the subsequent delivery of local training workshops.

The project is achieving this by: developing a schema covering core topics in open research, and a catalogue of high-quality training resources; developing and implementing a system of accreditation for trainers; and working with training partners to develop and deliver training in line with the schema. It also supports a thriving community of practice that enables trainers to find inspiration, share materials and lessons, and collaboratively develop new resources.

Reward and recognition project

The ORP has identified the critical role that reward and recognition plays in the uptake of open research practices. The open and responsible reward and recognition project seeks to support the institutional implementation of responsible researcher assessment policies and procedures.

It is doing this in two broad ways – through the production of resources and tools, and through providing a community of practice allowing communication and engagement between institutions to support implementation of good practice. The project is undertaking an evaluation of its effectiveness through repeated surveys of institutions determining key indicators of institutions maturity in developing open and responsible practices of reward and recognition for open research.

Sharing and learning project

The sharing and learning project will improve how institutions share and integrate open research practice, making good institutional practice the norm. The project is focusing on how institutions can share and build upon resources and assets, including: procedures; training; guidance; support; software; tools; workflows; communications; and policies.

As part of this, the project is developing a web platform which will include areas collecting information, resources, and assets for the different projects within the ORP, and a repository to make those assets findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Additionally, examples of good sharing practices will be developed to help project teams, communities of practice, and institutions see the benefits of applying ‘open’ principles to all areas of their work and sharing.

Evaluation project

The ORP aims to accelerate the uptake of high-quality open research practices. The evaluation project will determine whether it is achieving this, by monitoring open research practices over time. It is doing this in two main ways – through a self-report survey, and open research indicators.

As well as providing information on the progress and impact of the ORP over time, it is also providing insights and indicators at the individual institutional level. It therefore provides a model for evaluating the impact of institutional policies over time.

Management and sustainability project

The management and sustainability project ensures that the ORP is well governed and managed, has effective communications both internally and externally, and meets – and goes beyond – a set of commitments on equality, diversity and inclusion.

The project is also responsible for both increasing the number of programme partners during the life of the ORP, and developing and testing a sustainability model for institutions’ participation in UKRN more widely. This will complement work elsewhere in UKRN on other aspects of a holistic sustainability model.

Other Partners

A guide to our other partner’s contribution to the programme