The latest edition of the State of Open Data report series, produced in collaboration with Digital Science, Figshare, and Springer Nature, reveals that open data practices are on the verge of being universally recognized as a standard scholarly output. The findings, presented in the State of Open Data 2024 Special Report: Bridging Policy and Practice in Data Sharing, provide a quantitative analysis of global open data sharing trends, exploring the key factors driving adoption and identifying areas where challenges persist.
One of the major takeaways from the report is the growing number of universities adopting data-sharing policies to promote open science and research transparency. Since 2010, there has been a notable increase in academic papers linking to datasets. While regional differences exist, the variation in data-sharing policies (5-10% globally) is less significant than the overall improvement in data linking, which previously exceeded 85% of papers lacking data connections.
Despite these advances, simply having policies in place is not sufficient to ensure high rates of repository sharing. The adoption of open data policies has contributed to a decline in "on request" data sharing, as researchers increasingly share data proactively. However, actual sharing practices still fluctuate based on research type and geographic location. The report also highlights significant differences in researchers' motivations for sharing data. In the United States, 10.23% of researchers are driven by funder requirements, whereas only 4.88% are motivated by the potential for citation. In contrast, researchers in Ethiopia and Japan are more motivated by citation potential (9.3% and 14.8%, respectively), with funder requirements playing a minor role (2.33% and 1.67%).
Resource disparities remain a major hurdle for many countries. Limited internet connectivity, lack of institutional support, and low awareness hinder open data progress in regions like Brazil, Ethiopia, and India, where repository sharing rates remain below 25%. In comparison, countries like the US, UK, Germany, and France exhibit more consistent sharing rates, averaging around 25%.
The report also points out challenges across different research disciplines. While data-sharing policies are expanding, some fields lack suitable repositories, established community practices, or the capacity to handle sensitive data, making it difficult to fully adopt open data practices.
To address these challenges, the report recommends a four-step process to drive progress: establishing policies, ensuring mandate compliance, implementing measurement frameworks, and fostering collaboration for equitable access to knowledge. Additionally, increasing training and focusing on regions that need targeted support can bridge remaining gaps. Acknowledging the nuances of data sharing in different disciplines is also essential for sustained progress. These findings will be discussed in a webinar on January 23, 2025. Interested participants can register here and join the conversation using #StateOfOpenData. The full report, including all data and analysis, is available on Figshare: State of Open Data 2024.
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