Managing Your Data

SPARC defines open data as "research data that is freely available on the internet permitting any user to download, copy, analyse, re-process, pass to software or use for any other purpose without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself."

Open data is part of accelerating the pace of research, of providing access to data for those who lack the means to create it themselves, or to pay for it themselves. It enhances the integrity of the scholarly record by being transparent and open about where the data came from, and in sharing it creates an ecosystem of researchers working to share their research outputs with the world. 

Open data is also required by many federal funding agencies in the United States, and more private funders and publishers are also requiring data associated with research articles to be made openly available. 

Finding and using an open dataset can speed your research by saving time and money, and allows for new interpretations and discoveries.