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Office for Open Research

Two researchers in a lab

Open Science Framework (OSF)

Open Science Framework (OSF) is an open research management tool designed to support research projects, enable collaboration, and facilitate open research.

To sign-up for OSF, visit the osf.io website, “sign in via your institution” and select ‘The University of Manchester’ from the drop-down list.

What is OSF and how can it benefit my research?

The OSF tool improves research collaboration by enabling effective sharing of the research process. It facilitates open, reproducible research pipelines from preregistration through to data collection and analysis. OSF serves as a centralised project platform seamlessly integrating with existing workflows and external storage systems.

  

Scott Taylor

‌"OSF forms an important part of the community infrastructure. It underpins the open research movement, providing a rich tool for research collaboration, and sharing preregistration documents. This aligns well with the University's priority to support an open and responsible research environment."

- Scott Taylor, Head of Research Services and the Office for Open Research at The University of Manchester

  

Benefits of OSF

  • Preregistration and credibility. Share your research plan publicly with a unique DOI, establishing precedence, boosting your credibility, and supporting scientific transparency. Allows updates and optional embargo for sensitive information.
  • Discover and engage. Easily find projects, data, materials, and potential colleagues to enrich your research. Explore both successful and unsuccessful experiments for learning opportunities. 
  • Study design and collaboration. Initiate projects, add collaborators and manage the evolution of your study with built-in version control. A centralised and adaptable space for public or private collaboration. 
  • Publicity and visibility. Easily share papers and research data in OSF Preprints or other preprint providers for citation and tracking impact. Manage project visibility between public and private. 
  • Comprehensive reporting. Obtain DOIs for preprints, research plans and projects, simplifying reporting to funders or institutions. Allows easy tracking and management of project segments for collaboration or public sharing.

Support for OSF

As part of The University of Manchester's institutional membership, staff and students can access premium support from OSF.