Resources

Welcome to our Open Science Resources page. Here, you’ll find a collection of resources designed to help you integrate Open Science and FAIR principles into your work.

SciLifeLab Resources

SciLifeLab Open Science Onboarding

Here you can find our Open Science Onboarding which will guide you through the essential concepts to get you started on your open science journey.

Open Science Checklists

The following checklists are available to provide practical guidance on steps you can take to incorporate open science and FAIR into your research workflows:

• Open Access Checklist (Markdown, PDF)
• Open Data Guidelines (RDM Guidelines)
• Open Science Software Checklist (Markdown, PDF)
• FAIR-Aware Self Assessment Tool

CoARA Action Plan for SciLifeLab

On 23 February 2024, SciLifeLab announced that it had joined CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment) as a signatory member. This reaffirmed SciLifeLab’s commitment to advancing research assessment and open science practices. You can review SciLifeLab’s CoARA Action Plan here. Note, DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment) laid the foundation for research assessment reform by advocating for qualitative evaluation over journal-based metrics, a principle that CoARA builds upon to drive systemic change through collective institutional commitment.

SciLifeLab Data Policy

The SciLifeLab Data Policy outlines SciLifeLab’s commitment to Open Science, research transparency, and the FAIR principles, ensuring that data from publicly funded research is as open as possible, while adhering to legal and ethical requirements. It sets expectations for SciLifeLab-affiliated programs, infrastructure, and researchers to promote data sharing, reproducibility, and accessibility, while providing the necessary resources, support, and governance to integrate these principles into the research we produce.

SciLifeLab Training Hub

The SciLifeLab Training Hub offers a range of educational opportunities and training infrastructure, to advance Open Science and FAIR learning, ensuring Sweden’s life science community has open access to world-class knowledge and expertise. View SciLifeLab Training Hub’s website to learn more about training tools, upcoming courses and ways in which the Training Hub team can support you.

SciLifeLab RDM Guidelines

In collaboration with NBIS, SciLifeLab Data Centre has developed the Research Data Management Guidelines as a knowledge hub to support Swedish life science researchers in managing their data throughout the research lifecycle. This resource offers guidance on key topics, including data management plans, metadata, versioning, Open Science & FAIR principles.

External Resources

FAIR-Aware Self Assessment Tool

The FAIR-Aware Self Assessment Tool helps researchers evaluate their knowledge of the FAIR principles, offering guidance to enhance the findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability of their data. In addition, the F-UJI FAIR assessment tool is an automated tool designed to evaluate the FAIRness of research data objects.

The National Guidelines for Open Science

The National Library of Sweden (Kungliga Biblioteket) has published National Guidelines on Open Science, providing material for Swedish institutions and research funders in aligning policies, infrastructure, and coordination efforts with international recommendations. You can read The National Guidelines for Open Science here.

The EU Open Science Policy

The EU Open Science Policy promotes openness, collaboration, and transparency in research by removing barriers, fostering data sharing, and enhancing scientific impact. This is achieved by advocating for practices like open access, reproducibility, and citizen engagement, and supporting these efforts with initiatives and infrastructures such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and OpenAIRE. EOSC provides a federated infrastructure for sharing and accessing research data across Europe, while OpenAIRE supports open science by enabling open access to publications, linking research outputs, and facilitating compliance with EU open science policies.

The Swedish Research Council: Vision and Guiding Principles

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskaprådet) produced a Vision and Guiding Principles for Open Access to Research Data. This outlines a national strategy to ensure publicly funded research data is made “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”, with the goal of fully implementing the transition to open access by 2026. The recommendations emphasise coordinated efforts among researchers, institutions, and funders to integrate open data practices, develop incentives, and enhance usability. This is achieved through standardised frameworks, infrastructure, and FAIR data management planning, while ensuring compliance with legal and ethical considerations. Further details on Sweden’s approach to open science, including policies on open access to publications, research data, and broader open science initiatives, can be found on the Swedish Research Council’s Open Science webpage. This platform serves as a central resource for national guidelines, ongoing projects, and collaborative efforts that support Sweden’s transition towards open and FAIR research practices.

UNESCO Open Science Toolkit

UNESCO developed the Open Science Toolkit, a collection of guides, policies, and factsheets designed to support the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. You can review the UNESCO Open Science Toolkit here.

SUHF Roadmap for Open Science with Action Proposals for Implementation

The roadmap includes overarching recommendations that clarify the responsibilities of higher education institutions, as well as proposals for measures and capabilities that need to be established at these institutions during the transition to a responsible, secure, and open scientific system.

Plan S/Coalition S

Plan S is a European initiative (with Swedish participation) that mandates full and immediate Open Access for publicly funded research. Essential for researchers navigating open publishing policies.