Frequently asked questions

1. What are the requirements for H2020 project coordinators?

ENSURING OPEN ACCESS TO PUBLICATIONS

All Horizontas 2020 (Horizon 2020) projects must publish their results in peer-reviewed scientific journals that are openly accessible from the moment of publication, or at the latest after a period of 6 or 12 months in the case of embargo periods imposed by publishers. Not complying with this requirement may result in a reduction of project funding or other sanctions.

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ENSURING OPEN ACCESS TO PUBLICATIONS

Horizontas 2020 (Horizon 2020) projects, launched in January 2017, are taking part in a pilot programme that requires research data to be stored in open access data repositories.

Data governance plan

This is a document that specifies:

- - - how the data collected or generated during the research will be handled during and after the project, to ensure that it is stored in a secure and reliable way;
    - how and under what conditions it will be made available for re-use, unless there are conflicting legal, ethical or security reasons;
    - when and how it will be available to other users;
    - what standard metadata will be used to describe it;
    - how the obtained data will be processed and updated;
    - which data will be for long-term and which for short-term storage, in the latter case specifying when and how the data will be deleted.

2. How to choose a repository for publications?

You can choose the repository of your scientific publications at your own discretion, which can be:

- - - an institutional repository;
    - single-subject repository (e.g. arXiv, Europe PMC);
    - OpenAIRE Zenodo repository.

OpenAIRE offers you help in choosing the right repository

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3. How to choose a repository for scientific data?

Sometimes the research funding institution specifies in which data repository you need to upload the data. However, if you have a choice, consider these OpenAIRE recommendations.

RELIABLE SINGLE-SUBJECT REPOSITORY

Upload your data into a trusted repository of your scientific field. The CESSDA archives are an example of reliable single-subject repositories. Please note that not all types of data are accepted into the repositories (e.g. quantitative survey data is accepted, but not qualitative data).

INSTITUTIONAL OR RECOMMENDED DATA REPOSITORY

If a single-subject repository is not available, choose an institutional repository for scientific data. If the institution does not have a data repository, please refer to the list of data repositories recommended in the institution’s or publisher’s regulations. PLOS ONE recommended list of data repositories.

MULTI-SUBJECT DATA REPOSITORY

If none of the previous options are available, choose a multi-subject repository, e.g. Zenodo, Figshare or Harvard Dataverse. In these repositories, you can store and share your scientific data. Please note that repositories do not always provide long-term data storage. Check for how long the data is going to be stored in the repository of your choice.

FIND A REPOSITORY IN THE RE3DATA.ORG REPOSITORY REGISTRY

Search the re3data.org repository registry, where you will find over 2,500 registered data repositories. You can search by subject, type of content or country. You can also choose whether to look for certified data archives, repositories ensuring open access or providing permanent identifier.

4. Does my project apply to the H2020 requirements?

It depends on when your project started. If the project started in 2017, it is automatically included in the trial programme. In exceptional cases, non-compliance with the requirements is acceptable.

5. Do I have to pay for publishing in open access?

Open access can be free. There is no cost for archiving a scientific publication in the repository. You can also choose to publish in a scientific journal that does not apply the article processing charge. This will ensure free open access to research results.

For H2020 projects, the article processing charge may be an eligible cost if foreseen in advance in the project application.

6. What is a data management plan?

Data management plan is a short plan that specifies:

- - - how the data will be created;
    - how it will be documented;
    - who will have access to the data;
    - where the data will be stored;
    - whether the data will be shared and where it will be stored.