IOP Publishing has announced the launch of a free online open data training course for early career researchers. The course was reportedly developed in response to demand from the physical and environmental science communities. The announcement referred to a 2024 study by IOP Publishing that analyzed data-sharing practices in more than 30,000 published articles and found that many researchers who want to share data still face practical, ethical, and technical barriers.
According to the release, the course provides guidance on making research data openly available and addresses issues including ethical considerations, repository selection, licensing, and long-term stewardship. IOP Publishing stated the course is delivered fully online, uses bite-size modules, allows participants to progress at their own pace, and provides a certificate to those who pass all modules. The course is offered through the IOP Excellence training portal, where learners can also access Peer Review Excellence training.
The release states IOP Publishing has required authors since 2022 to include data availability statements indicating whether and how supporting data can be accessed. It added that the policy was strengthened in 2023 to require researchers unable to share data to explain the reason, and that in 2025, the publisher piloted mandatory public data sharing in two Environmental Research journals.
Click here to read the original press release.
