Research Data Management for Open Access Week 2025: Who owns our Knowledge?

By Sarah Stewart, Research Data Manager

Data is fundamental to research, providing the ‘evidence’ to validate research findings, make the research process transparent, and underpin publications, research practice and creative works.

Like publications such as journal articles or book chapters, research data are increasingly being viewed as outputs of research in and of themselves. However, data sharing, credit and ownership of research data are often seen as ‘difficult’, with many researchers concerned about being ‘scooped’ or that their data will be used without credit for their work.

Many funders, such as the UKRI have clear expectations around data sharing and ownership. The UKRI states:

“Ownership of the data generated from the research funded by UKRI or our councils resides with the researchers or their institutions. They should maintain and manage copyright and intellectual property ownership of data so that underlying research materials remain as open as possible.”

There are advantages to sharing data and making it open, including wider reach and impact, and the potential for the development of collaborations, however not all data can be made openly available.

As Open as Possible, as Closed as Necessary – Make it FAIR!

There may also be limits on what research data can be shared as some research data might be restricted or embargoed for legal, ethical or commercial reasons. Many funders recognise the need to balance open sharing of research data with protection for sensitive data that cannot be shared openly.

Research Data that is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) can enable you to meet these funder requirements for data sharing but also protect sensitive data.

You can make your research data FAIR by depositing it in an appropriate research data repository – either a discipline-specific repository for research data, a trusted general repository, or an institutional research repository, such as WestminsterResearch. Depositing your datasets does not mean that others can ‘scoop’ your work or reuse your data without appropriate citation and credit.

Once deposited, your dataset or other digital object will receive a DOI and it will be citable. Ensuring that your datasets and digital objects are licensed (such as using a Creative Commons license) will also ensure that datasets can be re-used accordingly. If you need guidance on licensing your research data, please contact the Research Data Manager or see some of our guidance on the Research Data Management webpages.

How to Make Your Research Data FAIR at the University of Westminster

Once you are ready to publish your research, you should deposit any research data that you would like to share openly in an appropriate research data repository, where it will receive a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and can be licensed for access and re-use. Many disciplinary areas have recommended repositories that are in standard use, but if you are unsure, you can contact the Research Data Manager for further guidance or else refer to the Research Data Management webpages for more information.

Ensure that you have a research data access or availability statement in any publications underpinned by your research data.

As a repository of last resort, research data can also be deposited in the University of Westminster’s Research Repository (WestminsterResearch), where it will receive a DOI and can be licensed accordingly.

You can find and download the guidance ‘Adding datasets’ from the Guides section of the VRE (staff login).

If you have been asked to publish or share your research data by a journal or a research funder, you can find detailed guidance on publishing your research data and choosing an appropriate research data repository on the University’s Research Data webpages.

You can also read our ‘Ten-step guide to publishing your research data’.