GW4 Open Research Week 2023

The GW4 Alliance, an alliance of four of the UK’s most research-intensive and innovative universities: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter, is hosting the inaugural GW4 Open Research Week for 2023, developed in conjunction with GW4 Alliance Library Services Teams.

The week will take place from 20th - 24th November 2023, and focuses on the theme of the Theory of Change, showcasing a broad range of open research practices which make research more:

• accessible
• transparent
• reproducible
• visible.

The week will consist of mixture of online, hybrid and in-person events, which will be open for members of the GW4 Alliance universities to attend, and span a diverse range of topics each day. A number of events will be open to everyone, including those based at institutions outside of the GW4 Alliance, international audience groups, and members of the public with an interest in reproducibility, transparency and integrity in research.

Please note that, in addition to GW4-wide and open-to-all events, each university will also be running its own series of events which will only be available for members of the host institution to attend. Check out the timetable, below, for more details:

 

Open to GW4 Alliance:

• Persistent Identifiers: What, who and why?, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 10-11am: This session will provide an introduction to Persistent Identifiers as a fundamental tool in Open Research. You’ll find out about what persistent identifiers are, who uses them and how they can help you make the most of your research. If you keep hearing about ‘DOIs’ and ‘ORCIDs’ and want to know more – or even if you’ve never heard of them, but just want to make sure that more people can find and use your research – then this is the session for you! With speakers Rachael Kotarski and Alice Percival. Register for the session online. Hosted by the University of Bath and open to GW4 Alliance members.

 

• Open Research: Overview and Primer, Online Event, 1:30 - 2:30pm: If you’re new to Open Research or would like a refresher on ways to make your research more open, then join Alice Motes, Senior Data Librarian at the University of Bath, for this overview and primer. The session will touch on a wide array of topics, including open access, sharing research data, preprints, pre-registration, copyright and licensing, and more! Register for the session online. Hosted by the University of Bath and open to GW4 Alliance members.

 

• Open Source Hardware for Enabling More Equitable, Open, and Reproducible Research , Online Event (Zoom), 2 - 3pm: Dr. Pen-Yuan Hsing is a postdoctoral researcher in open source, open research, and citizen science, with a background in ecology and biodiversity conservation. In this talk, Pen will highlight the importance of open source hardware in open research, with recommendations for researchers and policy makers. Pen is a co-author of the recent UKRN Primer on Open Source Hardware (https://osf.io/shv4y/), and has advised institutions such as UNESCO and NASA on open research, including running expert workshops or leading a policy guidance report on open source hardware. You can register to attend the event via Zoom. Hosted by the University of Bristol and open to GW4 Alliance members. 

 

Institutional events:

• Supporting Academic External Profiles, Online Event (Zoom), 10am - 1pm: Have you ever considered what you want to be known for in your academic career? An expert teacher? An education researcher? An innovator? A writer? Does your current profile support your vision and if not, how can you take the steps you need to change this? As part of the progression and promotion process, we all need to start to consider who we are as academics. Our passions, our focus and our expertise. This session will encourage participants to review their academic profile with critical kindness. The half-day session will offer individuals the opportunity to consider what matters most to them and thinking about how they can showcase their skills both internally and externally to the institution. The benefits are multiple, supporting the individual to develop, identifying potential gaps and allowing the expertise of the staff at Bristol to be broader and more meaningful in their reach, value and impact. Participants will leave the session with a better understanding of the available external facing platforms at the University and how to use them. With speakers Sarah Allsopp, Oscar Cordero Llana and Zosia Beckles.  Register to attend the event via Zoom. Hosted by the University of Bristol and open to University of Bristol members only.

 

• Copyright for Researchers, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 11:30am - 12:30pm: This will be an informative session to provide an overview of some of the copyright issues that apply to research activities. Topics covered will include: using third party copyright materials; publishing your work (including theses); copyright ownership; rights retention; licences; and ‘fair dealing’ legal exceptions. We will also be introducing you to the University’s new Copyright Toolkit. The aim of the session is to introduce some of the copyright issues that researchers need be aware of and to show where further information and support can be found. The session is aimed at University of Exeter-based researchers, PGRs and technician staff at any career stage, as well as professional services colleagues, who are interested in understanding copyright in a research context.  With speakers: Diane Crawford-Leighton, Caroline Huxtable and Dr Christopher Tibbs from the University of Exeter's library services. Register for the event through Microsoft Teams. Hosted by the University of Exeter and open to University of Exeter members only. 

 

• CURSA Annual Symposium: Developments at Cardiff and Open Research, In-Person Event, 12:45 - 4pm: This event is organised by the Cardiff University Research Staff Association (CURSA). The annual CURSA symposium will look at: university developments, hear from senior research leaders, and provide an introduction of Open Research. Cardiff University researchers can register for the event via Eventbrite. Hosted by Cardiff University and open to Cardiff University researchers only.

 

• Cardiff University Open Research Drop-In Session, In-Person, 2-3pm: Drop in and meet the Library’s Open Research team. The team will be on hand to answer your questions around Open Access, Cardiff University Press, ORCA, research data, bibliometrics and more. This session will be held in the VJ Gallery, Main Building. Hosted by Cardiff University and open to Cardiff University members only.

 

• Digital Scholarship Support at the University of Bristol, Online Event (Zoom), 3-4pm: The Library Research Support team has extensive experience of partnering with academics to realise digital humanities projects. Our past work has included 2D and 3D digitisation, Virtual Reality design and 360 degree videography. This one-hour workshop will provide an overview of the equipment, technical training and other support available, and examples of past projects the team has worked on. You can register to attend the event via Zoom. Hosted by the University of Bristol and open to University of Bristol members only.

 

 

Institutional events:

• The University of Exeter Open Research Drop-In Session, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 10 - 11am: Meet the University of Exeter's Open Research team and have all of your questions and queries about making your research open answered. A drop-in session where you can come along and have a chat with the Open Research team and ask any questions you have about any aspect of making your research open. No need to attend the entire session, simply join any time during the session. You can register to join via Microsoft Teams. Hosted by the University of Exeter and open to University of Exeter members only. 

 

• Cardiff University Research Data Repository: A Preview, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 10 - 11am: This session will provide information on the forthcoming Cardiff University Research Data Repository, hosted by Figshare. The team, including Research Data Manager Kellie Snow, will introduce the system and some of the features and functionality that will benefit researchers.  Register for the session via Microsoft Teams. Hosted by Cardiff University and open to Cardiff University members only. 

 

• Open Access Monograph Publishing, Online Event, 11:30am - 12:30pm: Open Access books are openly accessible eBooks that are free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. The Wellcome Trust Open Access policy includes a requirement for its funded books and chapters to be made open access after publication, and the UKRI Open Access Policy for monographs (books, chapters and edited collections) is just around the corner. All UKRI funded monographs published from 1 January 2024 will need to be open access. This session, delivered by Scholarly Communications Librarian, Cath Borwick, will provide an introduction to the funder policy requirements in this area, and to the range of publishing options available to authors. There will be some guidance on funding sources for publishing your books or chapters open access with a Creative Commons licence, and an overview of the innovative approaches being adopted by some publishers to enrich the content of open access books and enhance the experience of readers and scholars. Register for the session online. Hosted by the University of Bath and open to University of Bath members only. 

 

• An Introduction to Cardiff University Press, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 11:30am - 12:30pm: This event provides an overview of the work of Cardiff University’s Open Access Publisher, Cardiff University Press. It covers the guiding principles of the Press, what it publishes, how its processes are managed and more. Register for the event via Microsoft Teams. Hosted by Cardiff University and open to Cardiff University members only.

 

 

Open to everyone:

• GW4 Citizen Science as a Collaborative Transdisciplinary Practice, Online Event (Zoom), 9 - 10am: Opening up science to the participation of societal actors – a report from the field of Citizen Science. Join Margaret Gold, Citizen Science Lead within the Open Science Programme of Leiden University, will share developments in the field of Citizen Science at the global, national, regional, and local levels, and will explore what this means for researchers and research institutes in the context of Open Science. You can register to attend the event via Zoom. Hosted by the GW4 Alliance and open to all.

 

• GW4 ELIXIR-UK Data Club, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 10 - 11am: The ELIXR-UK Data Management Club is a monthly zoom meeting for anyone interested in research data management. These meetings are open to all and promote the use and implementation of FAIR data in the Life Sciences. This session will introduce the club and the topics it covers, along with information on helpful guidance and resources provided by ELIXIR. With speakers Dr Robert Andrew, Cardiff University and ELIXR-UK. Register for the event via Microsoft Teams. Hosted by the GW4 Alliance and open to everyone. 

 

• GW4 Alliance and UKRN Primers and Train-the-Trainer, Online Event (Zoom), 3:00 - 4:00pm: This session will introduce a set of materials covering the open research practices of open research data, sharing software / code, pre-registration, preprints and open access publications. The materials comprise, for each topic, a short animation, a video, a brief primer with links to further information, and materials to support ‘train-the-trainer’ sessions. All materials will be freely available from the UKRN website. You can register to attend the event via Zoom. Hosted by the GW4 Alliance and UKRN and open to all.

 

Open to GW4 Alliance:

• University of Exeter Open Research Winners, Hybrid Event (Laver LT3 Laver Building, Streatham Campus, University of Exeter and Microsoft Teams), 11:30 - 12:30pm: This session will showcase the award-winning Open Science work of the inaugural winners of the Exeter's open research awards. The Open Research awards were an open competition run across the University of Exeter to promote open science. Presentations from PhD students across all three faculties will highlight their achievements. This aim of this is to share best open science practice and to promote the work of Exeter’s PhD students. This event will be particularly relevant for any University-based researchers, PGRs and technician staff at any career stage, as well as professional services colleagues, who are interested in knowing more about open research practices. With speaker Professor Mark Kelson, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter and UK Reproducibility Network Institutional Lead. You can register for the event via Microsoft Teams. Hosted by the University of Exeter and open to GW4 Alliance University members.

 

• Open Access Monographs: A Researcher's Testimony, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 1:30- 2:30pm.  A dynamic and engaging gathering where esteemed researchers are invited to impart their knowledge and perspectives on open access monograph publishing. They will discuss their personal motivations, driving factors, expectations, the advantages and hurdles they've encountered, and offer practical guidance on the open access monograph publication process, providing valuable advice along the way. This session will provide a better understanding of the process of publishing an OA monograph, and allow you to use the experiences of your colleagues to better prepare you for the process of publishing your own open access monograph. The session is particularly relevant to any University-based researchers, PGRs and technician staff at any career stage, as well as professional services colleagues, who are interested in knowing more about publishing open access monographs. With speakers Dr Catherine McAteer and Professor Brian Rappert, Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, University of Exeter. You can register for the event via Microsoft Teams. Hosted by the University of Exeter and open to GW4 Alliance members

 

• Research Connectivity: Sharing Your Data, Online Event, 1:30 - 2:30pm. Having a data sharing mindset creates a firm foundation for your research project. Structuring, securing and storing your research data appropriately from the start creates opportunity for collaboration and deepens the impact of your research, internally to your research team and externally with the wider research community. During this "Sharing research data" workshop, participants will be guided through aspects of data management planning, how to differentiate storage practices based on the sensitivity of the data and what you need to have secured in order to comply with funder mandates and steps you need to take in order to make your research data as open as possible or as closed as necessary. The core themes of this workshop will be (i) good research data management throughout the research lifecycle, (ii) ethical considerations of storage and sharing (iii) how to share your research data and make it "open" to ensure funder compliance. Delivered by Kate Ehrig-Page, Research Data Librarian at the University of Bath, this workshop is aimed at new career researchers undertaking new research projects and those looking for a refresher of open data and open research practices. Register for the event online. This event is hosted by the University of Bath and open to GW4 Alliance members.

 

• Being Open About the Unopenable: Considering Open Science in Qualitative Research with Vulnerable Participants, Online Event (Zoom), 1:30 - 2:30pm: Isabella Macedo de Lucas & Colin Yang will present a summary of findings from their workshop series ‘Being Open About the Unopenable’ – an exploration of the complexities and challenges of doing open qualitative research with disadvantaged communities. The workshops enabled discussions and reflections about making more informed decisions when planning to conduct ethical open science in qualitative research, not only in data sharing but expanding the concept of "open" to participatory and transparent research practices.  Register to attend via Zoom. Hosted by the University of Bristol and open to GW4 Alliance members.

 

Open to everyone:

• GW4 Open Research Prize Event, Online Event (Zoom), 1:00- 4:00pm: Join colleagues from across the GW4 Alliance Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter for an afternoon event, celebrating the shortlisted entrants to the inaugural GW4 Open Research Prize and GW4 Early Career Publishing Prize. Shortlisted entries for the Widening Reach, Improving Quality and Poster Session Prizes will present their research to attendees, with prizes awarded to the successful entries for each of the categories. The event will also see the announcement of the winning entry to the GW4 Early Career Publishing Prize. Please join us online for this exciting showcase of best practices in open research. Register to attend via Eventbrite. Hosted by the GW4 Alliance Library Services Teams and open to everyone.

Open to GW4 Alliance:

• Making Research Assessments Fairer: What Are Responsible Metrics? Online Event (Zoom), 10 -11am: Universities, research teams, and individual researchers all want their research achievements and capabilities to be recognised fairly. Increasingly ‘metrics’ - quantitative indicators, like journal impact factors or university rankings – have become the go-to proxies for assessing research quality and scientific contributions. But metrics can also misrepresent and disadvantage researchers, distorting the work they choose to do, or where they choose to publish it, and holding back careers or whole disciplines. The Responsible Metrics movement, furthered by collaborative agreements such as the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and the Leiden Manifesto, have tried to reverse this trend – aiming to ensure metrics are used in context, and alongside more qualitative and peer-assessed judgements of research. This interactive learning session will: Introduce the core principles and aims of the Responsible Metrics movement; Explore awareness and share experiences of the negative impacts of research metrics, especially for judging individual researchers; Consider how the responsible metrics and open research agendas complement each other; Describe recent developments and opportunities for increasing the use of responsible metrics in university contexts (e.g. narrative CVs, Coalition on Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). With speakers Professor Rob Anderson, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and Becky Euesden, Researcher Development and Research Culture at the University of Exeter. You can register for the event via Eventbrite. Hosted by the University of Exeter and open to all GW4 University members

 

Institutional events:.

• What Are 'Predatory Journals' and How Can I Avoid Them? An Overview and Practical Demonstration Including Cabells Predatory Reports Database, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 10 - 11am: The event will cover an outline of the characteristics of so-called ‘predatory journals’ which take advantage of the author-pays model of Open Access to take fees but offer little or nothing in return by way of peer review or genuine academic publishing services. It will cover tools for identifying these journals and discuss some of the issues raised. There will also be a demonstration of the database Cabells Predatory Reports which enables quick identification of journals and publishers showing these behavioural characteristics. You can register for the event via Microsoft Teams. This event is hosted by Cardiff University and open to Cardiff University members only.

 

• The University of Bath's Open Research Environment: A Culture of Impact, Online Event, 11:30 - 12:30pm: The University of Bath is committed to cultivating a culture of open research. During this session, delivered by Alice Motes, Senior Data Librarian at the University of Bath, learn about the various policies, support services, infrastructure, and current initiatives that underpin open research activities at the University. Register for the event online. Hosted by the University of Bath and open to University of Bath members only.

 

Open to everyone:

• GW4 Rights Retention Strategy, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 11:30am - 12:30pm: The GW4 Universities—Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, and Exeter—have long-standing commitments to Open Access, underpinning the positive economic and social impact of our research within an inclusive research culture and environment. To this end, our library teams have worked together to develop a shared position and joint statement on Rights Retention. This session will present the approaches our universities are taking to support Right Retention and how our researchers can benefit from these improved ways of working. This session is open to all, but will be of particular interest to researchers and support teams involved in the publication process. You can join the event through Microsoft Teams (Meeting ID: 370 405 897 015 Passcode: FKc7pa). Hosted by the GW4 Alliance and open to all.

 

Open to GW4 Alliance:

• Publish Open Access, Online Event, 10 - 11am: In this session, find out more about the benefits of open access, the policies of funders and universities and the routes to make your work open access. This will include: the options to publish open access (OA), including types of journals/publishers, copyright & licensing considerations, how to find OA journals, evaluating publishers, accessing funding to pay to publish OA; open access via the self-archiving route – depositing a version of your research paper in an open access repository. The session is aimed at any GW4 researchers, PGRs and technician staff at any career stage, as well as professional services colleagues, who are interested in knowing more about open access. Hosted by GW4 Alliance and open to everyone. Speakers:  Imogen Ward-Smith from the University of Exeter's Open Research team and Cath Borwick from Library Research Services, University of Bath. You can register for the event via the University of Bath's website. Hosted by the University of Bath and the University of Exeter, and open to GW4 Alliance Members. 

• University of Bristol Open Research Policy Launch, Online Event (Zoom), 1:30 - 2:30pm. Hosted by the University of Bristol and open to GW4 Alliance members: More information to follow shortly. Register to attend via Zoom.

 

Institutional events:

• University of Exeter Rights Retention Policy Launch, Online Event (Microsoft Teams), 1:30 - 2:30pm. The Rights Retention policy enables authors to exercise the rights they have on their manuscripts to deposit a copy of the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) in a repository on publication and provide open access to it. Join us for an informative session designed to shed light on the upcoming University's Rights Retention Policy and what it means for the research community. This session will be delivered by the University of Exeter's Open Research Team. You can register to join the event via Microsoft Teams. Hosted by the University of Exeter for University of Exeter members only.
  

 

 

 

Enter the GW4 Open Research Prize and Early Career Publishing Prize 2023 – deadline extended to 14^th November

The GW4 Open Research Prize is offering prizes of £250 for the entries who can best demonstrate open research practices – don’t miss out on your chance to enter!

Open research is a broad range of practices which, when combined, make research more accessible, transparent, reproducible, and visible.

The Prize is open to submissions from all researchers (including postgraduate research students), in all disciplines, across the GW4 Alliance universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. Submissions from postgraduate research students (PGRs) and early career researchers (ECRS) are particularly encouraged.

GW4 Open Research Prize categories

A prize of £250 is available in each of the following four categories:

1. Widening Reach Prize - Demonstrates the listed open research practices with wider reach potential, including re-use, improving public value and/or innovation.
2. Improving Quality Prize - Demonstrates the listed open research practices that increase the quality of study design and/or research findings.
3. Poster session Prize - Provide an A2 digital poster, demonstrates one or more of the listed open research practices.
4. GW4 Early Career Publishing Prize -  A pilot initiative from the GW4 Alliance, in collaboration with the Bristol University Press (BUP). It seeks to celebrate Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and support the prize winner in exploring publication of the research in their doctoral thesis as a monograph. This prize is aimed at early career researchers who are interested in the benefits of publishing an open access (OA) monograph to widen the accessibility and impact of their research for the global community.

Open Research Prize applications for the Widening Reach and Improving Quality Prize categories will also be invited to an online to the event to take questions from the panel and members of the audience.

In addition to receiving £250, the winner of the Early Career Publishing Prize will have their monograph proposal taken through the full BUP commissioning process (including peer review), with the BUP Editorial Board signing off a monograph which meets BUP’s rigorous requirements.

How to enter – deadline 14^th November

For further information on how to enter the GW4 Open Research and GW4 Early Career Publishing Prizes, please visit the University of Bristol’s Open Research Prize webpages – where you will also find detailed eligibility and submission criteria.