<p>While data sharing and open data has many benefits to you, your academic community, and society, there are some challenges to doing so in HSS fields.</p>
Many social sciences researchers work with human research participants, which produces data that requires additional sensitivity. This can be personal identifying data, such as names, ages, and locations, or opinions on sensitive topics.
A similar concern for humanities and social sciences researchers alike is sensitivity that comes from working with third-party sources and copyright/IP issues that arise from this. When working with external materials, it can be difficult to understand what can be shared and to what degree, which can lead to difficulties in open data practices.
Another significant barrier for HSS researchers is knowledge of resources when it comes to open data. Much of the conversation surrounding open data is primarily focused on research in the health and STEM fields and open data within HSS research is often less frequently discussed and integrated into the research process.
It's very important to comply with all legal, ethical, and commercial data requirements, but it's also possible to share some of this data openly when done carefully.
The Open Research Europe team can help when publishing work with us, and other resources include:
Sustainable and FAIR data sharing in the Humanities
Open data in the humanities and social sciences: guidance for researchers
While we encourage all authors to make their data as open as possible, as closed as necessary, we do recognize that this is not always feasible.
Our friendly Editorial team is on hand to answer any questions you might have or if you are unsure about your own data.