More universities now have data sharing policies as part of their efforts to promote open science and research transparency
There has been a strong growth in papers linking to data from universities globally since 2010. Although there are differences regionally, with a spread of just 5-10% in data sharing policies, this is less significant than the >85% of articles that were not linked to data by 2022.
The success of open data initiatives reflects a broader policy environment. However, having policies in place is not sufficient on its own
Policies for open data sharing are now more consistent globally, which has contributed to a general decline in ¡°on request¡± sharing with reductions ranging from 1-9% in all but one country - i.e. researchers are now sharing more ¡®naturally¡¯. However, there are fluctuations in practice based on the type of research being funded and geolocation, and even where policies are in place, there is not necessarily a significant rise in repository sharing.
Global uptake of open research practice has increased, but is impacted by country-level motivations for data sharing
The United States has the lowest percentage of researchers that are motivated through citation of their data (4.88%) while having the highest percentage being motivated by funder requirement (10.23%). Conversely, Ethiopia and Japan show similarity with a higher importance of motivation through citation of their data (9.3% and 14.8% respectively) and a similar low importance of motivation from funder requirement (at 2.33% and 1.67% respectively).
Resource disparities remain
Progress in some countries is hindered by limitations in internet connectivity, institutional support, and a lack of awareness. Across the 10 regions analysed*, the US, UK, Germany, and France demonstrated similar trends in repository sharing, averaging around a 25% sharing rate. However, for Brazil, Ethiopia and India the sharing rate remains significantly below a quarter.
Sustained efforts are needed to respond to the challenges in diverse research areas
A wide range of disciplines are now being covered by the growing number of data availability statement (DAS) policies, but many still lack established community practices, suitable repositories, and/or the ability to handle sensitive data which is difficult to share.
