Perspective
"The University of Graz sees it as part of its social responsibility to ensure free access to scientific literature and research results of its scientists as well as to objects of cultural heritage."
(Open Access Policy)
Open access to science and research strengthens trust and public understanding, which is why the University of Graz fully supports Open Science. This is achieved through transparency in the research process, methods, data and results, which are publicly discussed and made accessible. The University promotes various Open Science practices that can be applied at all stages of the research process - from planning to publication.
As it is important that the achievements of our researchers are also recognised to an appropriate extent, the University of Graz is a member of CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment) and also wants to present these achievements publicly (with the Activity Framework). The University has defined these efforts in flagship projects, which are to be implemented in the period 2023-2026, and as key objectives for strategic development up to 2035. Another focus is on promoting public understanding of science and strengthening trust in scientific processes, which is realised through efforts in the area of science communication.
Open Access Publishing
The University of Graz actively supports open access publishing and thus makes research results freely available to the public. Since 2021, the University Library has been operating the open access repository unipub, in which works by researchers and students of the university are published.
Graz University Library Publishing offers various publication formats, including peer-reviewed journals, monographs, conference papers, teaching materials and grey literature, all of which are freely accessible and published under open access licences. Authors who are members of the university can publish via platforms such as Open Monograph Press (OMP) and Open Journal Systems (OJS). A dedicated Open Access fund pays the publication fees for qualified publications, including articles in Gold Open Access journals and contributions to Open Access edited volumes. The University has concluded Open Access agreements with major publishers such as Elsevier, Springer and Wiley.
The library also offers comprehensive advice on copyright, funding opportunities, the publication of open access journals and other topics relating to the publication process. In this way, the library emphasises its commitment to open science and open access as well as its social responsibility to make the university's research results accessible.
Open Educational Resources
The University of Graz has taken important steps to promote Open Educational Resources (OER) through its OER portal and a comprehensive website on this topic. This platform provides public access to free educational materials in German and English, with additional features for university members to save and organise content.
The University of Graz encourages its employees to contribute to the OER ecosystem by uploading and publishing their own materials and offers support from a dedicated OER team. The university's commitment to OER is also reflected in the published OER policy and the support offered to teachers in adopting and creating open materials.
To facilitate the understanding and use of OER, the University of Graz provides a general information page on the concept as well as detailed guidelines. This comprehensive approach, including the portal, institutional guidelines and support systems, emphasises the importance of open education and the exchange of knowledge resources at the university.
Institute for Psychology
The Institute of Psychology at the University of Graz shows a strong commitment to Open Science practices and initiatives. The Institute organised its first Open Science Day back in November 2020, underlining its ongoing commitment to promoting open science practices. The Doctoral School of Psychology, in collaboration with the Graz Open Science Initiative (GOSI), actively promotes transparency and open science practices by providing information and materials to help implement these practices in accordance with the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines. As part of this training, important open science practices such as pre-registration, the open provision of materials and data as well as open access publications are emphasised as important additions to contemporary research methods.
GOSI, an informal initiative of researchers and students from all universities in Graz, which originated and is based at the Institute of Psychology, focuses on promoting transparent and reproducible science, encouraging researchers to share methods, research data and code, and organising events such as journal clubs and workshops. The members have developed a "Transparency and Open Science" form for dissertations, which enables doctoral students and researchers to list all open science practices used in their research projects.