Awareness of and engagement with Open Research behaviours: Development of the Brief Open Research Survey (BORS) with the UK Reproducibility Network

Abstract

Objectives:A need for Open Research practices exists, yet there remains a lack of validated questionnaires to assess Open Research practices. The study aimed to develop a brief (<5 minutes), standardised questionnaire to measure Open Research awareness and engagement across UK institutions. Methods: The Brief Open Research Survey (BORS) was developed in six steps: 1) a scoping exercise collated previous questionnaires on Open Research, 2) a brief questionnaire was developed, 3) peer-reviewed, 4) piloted, 5) revised,and 6) the final questionnaire was distributed across UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) local networks. Results: Respondents across thirty-five UKRN local networks participated (n = 1,274). Respondents were most aware of Open Access publications (94.1%) and also used them the most (76.5%). They were least aware of Registered Reports (38.1%) and also used them the least (8.3%). Respondents reported that incentives (51%), dedicated funding (46.2%), and recognition in promotion and recruitment criteria (39.6%) would help them embed Open Research. Conclusion: Although various Open Research initiatives exist, there remains a disconnect between awareness and implementation. Support from funders and institutions is required to increase Open Research. The Brief Open Research Survey can be used to track uptake over time and adapted to measure Open Research globally.