Compliance Requirements #

To ensure that Open Science practices are fully embedded in all research conducted at ICArEHB, compliance with the Open Science Policy is mandatory for all researchers and students. The following steps outline the expectations for compliance:

Open Access Compliance:

• Researchers must publish all journal articles arising from ICArEHB-funded or institutional research in Open Access journals or make the accepted manuscripts available in an open repository.
• Compliance with funder mandates (e.g., ERC, FCT) is critical. Researchers are responsible for ensuring that their publications meet the Open Access requirements of their funding bodies.
• Trusted repositories like OSF should be used to deposit manuscripts and supplementary materials.

Data Management and Sharing Compliance:

• A Data Management Plan (DMP) must be available at the start of each research project. The DMP should outline how data will be collected, organized, stored, and shared, and it must follow institutional and funder guidelines.
• All research data must be stored in an open-access repository upon project completion, with appropriate metadata to ensure it is FAIR-compliant. Researchers must ensure that sensitive data is anonymized or restricted if necessary.

Pre-registration Compliance:

• For hypothesis-driven research, researchers are expected to pre-register their studies to increase research transparency. Pre-registration must be done before data collection begins, using platforms such as OSF Registrations.
• ICArEHB will monitor compliance with pre-registration practices, particularly for studies that are likely to undergo peer review in high-impact journals or require significant external funding.

Open Methods, Protocols, and Code Compliance:

• Researchers are required to deposit their research methods, protocols, and code in a public trusted repository upon publication of their findings. Methods, protocols, and code should be documented clearly, allowing other researchers to replicate the study.
• Compliance will be monitored through the submission of methods, protocols, and code alongside research outputs, and failure to comply may affect future internal funding or project approvals, and individual evaluation.

Monitoring and Reporting:

• ICArEHB will regularly review compliance with its Open Science Policy. When requested, researchers must provide evidence of their Open Access publications, DMPs, pre-registrations, and data/code sharing.
• ICArEHB annual reports will detail adherence to Open Science practices, including the publication of preprints, the sharing of data and methods, and participation in Open Peer Review.

Support and Resources:

• ICArEHB will provide ongoing support to ensure compliance with Open Science practices. This includes workshops, training sessions, and access to tools such as Argos, DMPTool, OSF, and Protocols.io.
• The ICArEHB Open Science Committee is available to assist researchers in preparing their Data Management Plans, ensuring compliance with funder requirements, and selecting appropriate Open Access journals and repositories.

Failure to comply with the Open Science Policy may result in:

• Restrictions on access to future research funding.
• Non-compliance being flagged in performance reviews or research assessments.