Frequently Asked Questions
This is where you will find most answers. If there should still be any questions left, don't hesitate to contact us.
About OpenAIRE
- find all the publications and data of your project
- disseminate your research outputs
- comply with EC and national funders’ Open Access policies for publications and data
- collect all of your projects’ outputs in one place
- comply with EC and national funders’ Open Access policies for publications and data
- streamline the interoperability between your repository and the EC’s reporting tool for publications
- increase your visibility
- keep track of all research output funded by your funding stream
- keep track of the availability in Open Access research output stemming from your funding stream
- gain greater insight into your funding impact through tailor made statistics
It launched in 2013, allowing researchers in any subject area to upload files up to 50 GB.
OpenAIRE is a European project supporting Open Science. On the one hand OpenAIRE is an network of dedicated Open Science experts promoting and providing training on Open Science.
On the other hand OpenAIRE is a technical infrastructure harvesting research output from connected data providers. OpenAIRE aims to establish an open and sustainable scholarly communication infrastructure responsible for the overall management, analysis, manipulation, provision, monitoring and cross-linking of all research outcomes.
This combination of knowledge and a pan-European Research Information platform enables us to provide services to researchers, research support organisations, funders and content providers such as:
- Integrated scientific information: links publication, project information, datasets... per funder/project/content provider...and presents them in an in one place
- Monitor and reporting on OS research outcomes for funders
- Training sessions and support on all subjects related to OS and OS policy
- Discovery of OS output per project, funder, data provider…
- Exchange of metadata and content amongst data providers
- A general purpose repository called Zenodo
- An Open Science helpdesk
- Monitoring and reporting mechanisms for research output per institution
- Analyses massive collections of documents, related meta-data and relational information
And many more.
General on Open Access
You can find an overview of trusted open access journals in the Directory of Open Access Journals.
A persistent identifier (PID) is a long-lasting reference to a resource. That resource might be a publication, dataset or person. Equally it could be a scientific sample, funding body, set of geographical coordinates, unpublished report or piece of software. Whatever it is, the primary purpose of the PID is to provide the information required to reliably identify, verify and locate it. A PID may be connected to a set of metadata describing an item rather than to the item itself.
There are different PID types for different kinds of resources. In the current research environment we most commonly see two varieties: those for objects (publications, data, software, such as URNs, DOIs, ARKs, Handle) and those for people (researchers, authors, contributors, such as ORCIDs, ISNIs). Many repositories will assign a PID of the former type when an object is deposited.
For more information, please see the Knowledge Hub on the PID Forum.
Open Access is not an infringement on copyright, in fact making your work open access is perfectly legal.
Authors (or their institutions) own the original copyright to their research, but when publishing the original rights holders are often asked to transfer these rights to the publisher, so that the publisher sets the terms for providing open access. OpenAIRE encourages researchers to choose publishers who let them retain their author rights, so that immediate access can be provided. Ideally, an open license is applied to the work, so that access and reuse rights are clearly defined for every end-user. Creative Commons (such as CC BY 4.0 for publications and CC0 for data) or GNU (for software and code) are very suitable for this purpose. If the publisher does not standardly allow you to retain your rights, please consider negotiating this using with an addendum to the publication agreement.
Some publishers of Open Access journals ask for a transfer of copyrights but still provide immediate open access via the journal home page. If you have transferred your rights to the publisher and the article is published in a closed access journal but you still want to provide open access, you can do this through self-archiving. Sherpa/RoMEO offers a journal-by-journal overview of publisher self-archiving policies.
In FP7, the European Commission had two Open Access policies: the EC Open Access Pilot and the ERC Guidelines for Open Access. These initiatives required that researchers provide open access to publications resulting from EC-funded research within a specified time period. The Open Access Pilot for publications applied for approximately 20% of the budget and 7 dedicated research areas.
In Horizon 2020, open access to scientific peer-reviewed publications has been anchored as an ‘underlying principle’, making it obligatory for all projects. In addition, as of 2017 H2020 projects are by default part of the Open Research Data Pilot, although it remains possible to opt-out.
General overview: Guidelines for Open Access to publications and data in H2020.
More information on the Open Research Data Pilot: Guidelines on FAIR data management in H2020.
Check what EC policies and mandates are applicable to your organisation or project.
Making your research open access does not have to cost anything. By depositing your articles in a repository or finding an open access journal that does not charge APCs, you can provide open access for free.
However, under H2020 APCs are eligible costs for reimbursement for the duration of the grant agreement. You should already include costs for open access publishing in the budget of your project proposal.
APCs for finalized FP7 projects might also be eligible for funding through the FP7 post-grant Open Access publishing funds pilot.
Predatory publishers exploit the Open Access publishing model for their own profit. In some cases, predatory journals offer little or no peer review.
- Don’t trust unsolicited e-mails;
- View recent publications of the journal;
- Ensure that the journal has a validated ISSN;
- Check for societies affiliated with the journal;
- Look at the journal’s leadership and its professional affiliations: Have you heard of the editorial board members? Is the journal listed in the DOAJ? Is the publisher a member of the OASPA or the COPE?
- A list of trusted OA journals is provided by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
- Use Think Check Submit for more information to make sure you choose trusted journals for your research.
Generally, the same factors apply for selecting an Open Access journal as when choosing a traditional journal to publish your article.
- Check if the journal is included in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Journals included in the DOAJ must exercise quality control on submitted papers and meet a number of other selection criteria.
- Check if the journal's publisher is a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publisher's Association (OASPA), or if the journal adheres to the OASPA Professional Code of Conduct.
- Evaluate how well the journal meets the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, a list of criteria developed jointly by the DOAJ, OASPA, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).
- Deposit the final peer-reviewed version in an online repository
- Provide Open Access within 6 months (12 months for HSS research)
- Ensure Open Access to the metadata, which must include:
- terms ["European Union (EU)" & "Horizon 2020"]["Euratom" & Euratom research & training programme 2014-2018"]
- name of the action, acronym and grant number
- publication date, the length of the embargo period (if applicable), and a persistent identifier, e.g. DOI
It is not enough to add the publications to Dropbox, project websites, or academic social networks such as ResearchGate. It is recommended to choose an institutional or subject repository, as these have dedicated infrastructure allowing for long-term archiving and interoperability (for example, with OpenAIRE services).
If you have trouble locating a suitable repository, contact your institutional librarian or your National Open Access Desk. You can also use the Zenodo repository, hosted by CERN, to deposit your publications and datasets free of charge, or search in a global registry - re3data or FAIRsharing - for a fitting repository (they provide several filtering options).
To comply with the H2020 OA requirements, it is mandatory to ensure Open Access to all peer-reviewed publications resulting from H2020 funding. There are two ways you can provide Open Access:
- Depositing your peer-reviewed manuscript in a trusted Open Access repository.
- Selecting a reputable Open Access journal for publishing your research.
4 simple steps to Open Access
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Step 1. |
Submit a paper to a journal of your choice (you are not restricted to Open Access journals). Publishing costs (article processing charges) are eligible costs and can be reimbursed within the project period. |
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Step 2. |
Deposit either the published manuscript or the final peer-reviewed version in an Open Access repository as soon as possible and at the latest upon publication. It is not enough to add the publications to Dropbox, project websites, or academic social networks such as ResearchGate. You could find a repository via registries: ROAR, OpenDOAR, FAIRsharing or via OpenAIRE. If you have trouble locating a suitable repository, contact your institutional librarian or your National Open Access Desk. |
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Step 3. |
Acknowledge project funding in the metadata when uploading your article. This can be done by filling in the name of the action, project acronym, and/or grant number. |
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Step 4. |
Ensure open access to the deposited publication — via the repository — at the latest: on publication if an electronic version is available for free via the publisher, or within six months of publication (twelve months for publications in the social sciences and humanities) in any other case. Check the publisher’s policy to determine which version you can upload and if an embargo period applies, see the Sherpa/Romeo database. An embargo period of 6 months (or 12 months for the social sciences and humanities) is acceptable. Ideally, as an author, you keep your author rights and apply a suitable open license. There are many options, such as Creative Commons. Please find more information about copyright and open access. |
Research Data Management
“How to License Research Data” guide from the DCC can helps you understand data licensing. This guide outlines the pros and cons of each approach e.g. the limitations of some Creative Commons licenses options.
"The Guidelines to the Rules on Open Access to Scientific Publications and Open Access to Research Data in Horizon 2020" point to CC-0 or CC-BY as a straightforward and effective way to make it possible for others to mine, exploit and reproduce the data (see p. 10).
You could also use the EUDAT licensing tool, more information on how to use it is here.
There is also this new clause on for health actions targeting public health emergencies [p. 70 - 71]
Under Horizon 2020, research data management costs are eligible for reimbursement for the duration of the grant agreement. To estimate RDM costs the University of Utrecht compiled a Data Management Cost Guide.
Making data FAIR ensures it can be found, understood and reused – by the creator as well as others.
| Findable |
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| Accessible |
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| Interoperable |
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| Reusable |
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Metadata is data providing information about data that makes findable, trackable and (re)usable.
Metadata formats and standards
Metadata can take many different forms, from free text to standardized, structured, machine-readable, extensible content. It is recommended to use a standard metadata format used in your field.
- Dublin Core - domain agnostic, basic and widely used metadata standard
- DDI (Data Documentation Initiative) - common standard for social, behavioral and economic sciences, including survey data
- EML (Ecological Metadata Language) - specific for ecology disciplines
- ISO 19115 and FGDC-CSDGM (Federal Geographic Data Committee's Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata) - for describing geospatial information
- MINSEQE (MINimal information about high throughput SEQeuencing Experiments) - Genomics standard
- FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) - Astronomy digital file standard that includes structured, embedded metadata
- MIBBI - Minimum Information for Biological and Biomedical Investigations
The concept of the free use of research data within the Pilot may conflict with data protection rules if such data contain personal data. Data protection rules are always applicable when personal data is processed. The term ‘processed’ is all-encompassing and any operation with personal data not qualifying as processing is almost unthinkable. Anonymisation of personal research data is the only effective solution to comply with both the data protection legislation and the requirements of the Open Research Data Pilot.
Οbtaining the consent of the data subject to use and exchange their data may seem an alternative. However, the Pilot demands that data be made openly available to the broad public and for all forms of reuse, whereas Directive 95/46/EC demands that the purpose for processing must be defined as precise as possible.
Remember that opting out of the Pilot is possible, provided that you justify in the Data Management Plan why the data or part of the data can’t be shared openly.
More information in this OpenAIRE briefing paper.
To make your research data open, you can deposit it in dedicated data repositories. Some repositories, such as Zenodo, accept both publications and datasets.
Data repositories allow you to provide persistent links to your datasets, so that they can be cited, linked and tracked. Just like other publications, you can license your data to define what level of reuse you allow.
OpenAIRE recommends to use the Creative Commons CC0 Waiver or CC BY licence for open access to data, as they allow maximum reusability and interoperability.
The first version of the DMP has to be delivered within the first 6 months of the project.
The DMP should be updated whenever significant changes occur, but as a minimum in time with the periodic evaluation/assessment and at the final review of the project. The project consortium can define a timetable for review in the DMP itself.
A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a formal document that specifies how research data will be handled both during and after a research project. It identifies key actions and strategies to ensure that research data are of a high quality, safe, sustainable and – where possible – accessible and reusable. More and more research funders require a DMP as part of the grant proposal process, or after funding has been approved. Creating a Data Management Plan for your project is always a good idea, even if it is not mandatory or if you will not be able to provide access to your data!
A DMP should be considered a ‘living’ document - it is ideally created before or at the start of a research project, but updated when necessary as the project progresses. Planning for data management is therefore not a one-off event, but a process.
DMP Templates
The DMP template for H2020 projects provided by the EC includes:
- A summary of your data
- How to make your data FAIR
- Information about costs and resources
- Information about data security
DMPonline is another online tool that provides a number of templates representing the requirements of different funders and institutions, such as Horizon 2020. It also provides further guidance to understand and answer template-specific questions. Plans created with DMPonline can be easily shared with collaborators and exported in various formats.
Check out other DMPonline installations in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, South Africa and Spain here.
If you have trouble getting started with a DMP, ask your NOAD or your librarian.
There are three steps to comply with the Open Research Data Pilot:
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Step 1: |
The first version of your DMP has to be submitted within six months. You should update your DMP whenever significant changes occur, but at a minimum for periodic evaluation and at the final review. See our faq on creating a DMP for more tips. |
| Step 2: Find a research data repository |
Find a data repository that matches your data needs and discipline. An overview of repositories can be found at re3data and FAIRsharing. If there is no subject-specific data repository available, catch-all repositories such as Zenodo, provide a good alternative. If you have trouble locating a suitable data repository, contact your local NOAD. |
| Step 3: Deposit your data |
Deposit the data and the information necessary to access and use it, i.e. metadata and tools/instruments, in the data repository. Attach an open licence, such as a creative commons license, to the datasets that can be made openly available. |
(Partially) Opting-out
Each project proposal will need to consider taking part in the Pilot, but it remains possible to opt-out of at any stage: during the application phase or the grant agreement preparation (GAP) phase or after signing the grant agreement.
Moreover, projects individually define which data the Pilot covers for their specific context. A project can choose to only make a subset of the data available, or they can initially plan to make certain data available but then change their decision mid-project, for example if they discover there's a commercial application and plan to file for a patent.
The key principle to bear in mind is to be "as open as possible, as closed as necessary." If you plan to keep some datasets closed, you need to justify these decisions in your Data Management Plan.
As of 2017, participating in the pilot is the default option for all Horizon 2020 projects, though opting out remains possible. If your project started before that date, check Article 29.3 in your grant agreement.
| Projects started in 2014-2016 | From 2017 |
| Limited ORD Pilot | Extended ORD Pilot |
| Limited ORD pilot: some areas participate: Check Article 29.3 | Participating is default option for all projects |
| Possibility to opt-out but also to opt-in on voluntary basis for other areas | Possibility to opt-out |
Reporting and Statistics
Use a repository that is compliant with OpenAIRE to deposit your research results (Find them here).
Linking your results to a project is very easy. Be sure that:
- the funder name, funding stream, project acronym/title and grant number are inserted in the Acknowledgment of the Open Access version of the peer-reviewed article or document you are depositing;
- the same information are provided in the metadata of the digital object you are depositing (see also FAQ - How do I deposit my work in a Subject or Institutional Repository?).
In case OpenAIRE found your research object but was not able to link it to your project, you can always claim the connection by clicking on the button “Link this Project to…” on the project page (See also the guide - How to link a publication to your funding).
OpenAIRE also performs Text and Data Mining Algorithms that are able to extract the information contained in the Acknowledgment session of your paper in order to link it to the correct funding grants.
The Research Result (Peer-reviewed articles, Dataset, Software, or Other research products) should be only linked to the project that actually funded the research work behind the specific findings.
When linking a research object to a specific project (learn here how to do it!) you should be aware that the information about connection will be sent to the Participant Portal and will be seen by your Project Officer and Reviewers. One of the main aims of OpenAIRE is indeed to measure the impact of the research carried out by means of public fundings. You will therefore be asked to justify in the Review process both scientifically and financially the results that you have linked to your grant.
OpenAIRE uses a 'very limited' set of funder-related metadata, no personal details are needed, e.g. no personal names or budget details. The information will be picked up automatically when funders provide the following:
- Project Identifier*
- Project Title or Acronym*
- Funder Name*, e.g. Wellcome Trust, EC
- Start Date*
- End Date*
- Funding Stream(S) – Funding Categories for more detailed statistics
- Organization(S) Involved
- Recommended Achkowledgement Statements (Optional)
- Start Year/Date Open Access Mandates (Optional) for datasets and publications
OpenAIRE provides a publication reporting tool that is available on the project landing page in the portal. For each project, OpenAIRE compiles a list of scientific outputs (publications and data) that can be viewed and exported in csv or html format.
Using this aggregated project output – identifying title, author, year, access mode and permanent link – you can easily fill the corresponding information in the progress or final report of your project.
If you can’t find all your publications in the list, you can easily claim and link them to your projects manually.
Technical about OpenAIRE services
If you want to use OpenAIRE’s data, please find the OpenAIRE API Documentation: there you will find all necessary information on how to reuse our content.
OpenAIRE does not host content itself, but aggregates publications and data from third-party sources.
If you have deposited your publication or dataset in a repository, you should contact the administrator to update metadata.
If you haven't deposited the publication or dataset yourself, or if you don't know how the record ended up on the OpenAIRE portal, please contact the OpenAIRE helpdesk: helpdesk@openaire.eu.
OpenAIRE uses the OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative’s Protocol for Metadata Harvesting OAI-PMH) interoperability protocol, which consists of a set of rules and methods that standardize the access to content of repositories. OpenAIRE compliant repositories are harvested once a week.
By depositing your work in a repository and providing your project information in the metadata, project information and related publications and data will automatically become visible in the OpenAIRE portal.
On OpenAIRE, each project has a dedicated page featuring:
- Project information
- App & Widget box
- Publication list
- Datasets
- Author information
In order to provide content to OpenAIRE, journals and repositories have to be registered as technically compliant with OpenAIRE.
To be registered as OpenAIRE compliant, you must ensure that:
- Your repository is registered in OpenDOAR prior to the validation process - this is the authority list OpenAIRE relies on for repositories;
- Your repository is set up according to OpenAIRE’s guidelines - simple metadata specifications that are required to make your repository or journal compliant. The guidelines outline the necessary steps to comply, to get registered and to be aggregated and indexed in OpenAIRE;
- You correctly set up your ListIdentifiers and GetRecord verbs for your ec_fundedresources records.
Repository systems like DSpace, EPrints and Open Journal Systems are OpenAIRE compliant.
If your repository is not compliant, the deposited publications will not be 'harvested' automatically through the OpenAIRE portal, limiting the visibility of your project and access to OpenAIRE’s services.
The OpenAIRE portal is designed to measure compliance with the EC's and ERC's Open Science policies and pilots. When these conditions are applicable to your project, OpenAIRE is there to make reporting as easy as possible. While non-compliant repositories are still being indexed through OpenAIRE, the visibility and accuracy of project files and publication metadata can be lower.