Research Data Management Policy: Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to write a Data Management Plan?

You must ensure that you produce a Data Management Plan for all research or scholarship projects you are involved with. The Library Research Support team can provide advice, guidance, and review of DMPs. For more information on DMPs see the guidance on our webpages.

2. Do I need to publish my software?

If you have software that supports published research findings, is needed to reproduce or replicate research results, or has potential for use in future research, you are now required to archive and share it (where ethical, legal or commercial restrictions permit). Code hosting services such as GitHub, BitBucket or GitLab are not suitable for archiving software. You should archive key versions/releases in a data repository which will assign DOI’s (Digital Object Identifiers) to software outputs, making it easier to cite and track specific versions of your software

3. Do I need to add metadata to ORDO for data published outside of The Open University?

No, we have automated the creation of metadata records in ORDO for any data shared in other data repositories, so you should not need to take any action to fulfil this requirement.

If there is a dataset which isn't appearing on ORDO, please contact the Library Research Support team for advice.

4. What is an ORCID?

ORCID is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals which helps you to claim credit for your work and disambiguate authors. If you don’t already have one, you can sign up for an ORCID free online.

5. How do I add my ORCID to ORDO?

When publishing your research data/software in ORDO, you will be now required to include your ORCID. Please consult our guidance on how to link your ORCID with your ORDO account..