|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Open Science Framework (OSF) |
| 3 | +categories: [Tools] |
| 4 | +--- |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +## What is it? |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +The Open Science Framework (OSF) is a free, open-source platform developed by the Center for Open Science that supports the entire research lifecycle. OSF provides tools for project management, collaboration, data storage, pre-registration, and sharing of research materials. It serves as a central hub where researchers can manage their projects, store files, connect external services, and make their work openly accessible to the research community. |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +## What can it be used for? |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +OSF can be used for: |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +- **Project management**: Organize research projects with hierarchical folder structures and component organization |
| 15 | +- **Collaboration**: Share projects and files with team members, assign different permission levels |
| 16 | +- **File storage**: Store research files with version control and backup functionality (up to 50GB per private project) |
| 17 | +- **Pre-registration**: Create time-stamped pre-registrations of study protocols and analysis plans |
| 18 | +- **Data and code sharing**: Make research materials openly accessible with permanent DOIs |
| 19 | +- **Integration**: Connect external services like GitHub, Google Drive, Dropbox, Zotero, and Mendeley |
| 20 | +- **Preprint sharing**: Upload and share preprints through affiliated preprint servers |
| 21 | +- **Wiki documentation**: Create project documentation and protocols using the built-in wiki |
| 22 | +- **Research transparency**: Implement open science practices throughout the research workflow |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +## How to request access |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +OSF is freely available to all researchers worldwide. No institutional access request is needed: |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +1. **Create account**: Go to [https://osf.io](https://osf.io) and sign up with your email address |
| 29 | +2. **VU affiliation**: When creating your account, you can indicate your VU Amsterdam affiliation |
| 30 | +3. **Institutional login**: You may also be able to log in using your institutional credentials through ORCID or other identity providers |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +## Are there costs involved? |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +OSF is completely free to use for all researchers. There are no costs for: |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +- Account creation and maintenance |
| 37 | +- File storage (up to 50GB per private project, unlimited for public projects) |
| 38 | +- Collaboration features |
| 39 | +- Pre-registration services |
| 40 | +- DOI assignment for public projects |
| 41 | +- Integration with external services |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +## Getting started |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +### Creating your first project |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +1. **Sign up**: Create your OSF account at [osf.io](https://osf.io) |
| 48 | +2. **Create project**: Click "Create new project" from your dashboard |
| 49 | +3. **Project details**: Add a title and description for your research project |
| 50 | +4. **Privacy settings**: Choose whether to make your project public or keep it private |
| 51 | +5. **Add collaborators**: Invite team members and assign appropriate permissions (read, write, admin) |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +### Organizing your project |
| 54 | + |
| 55 | +#### Project structure |
| 56 | +- **Components**: Create sub-projects for different aspects of your research (e.g., Data, Analysis, Materials) |
| 57 | +- **Folders**: Organize files within each component using folder structures |
| 58 | +- **Tags**: Add tags to make your project more discoverable |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +#### File management |
| 61 | +- **Upload files**: Drag and drop files directly into your project |
| 62 | +- **Version control**: OSF automatically tracks file versions when you upload updates |
| 63 | +- **File linking**: Link to files stored in connected external services |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +### Pre-registration |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +OSF provides robust pre-registration capabilities: |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +1. **Choose template**: Select from various pre-registration templates (PSA, AsPredicted, etc.) |
| 70 | +2. **Complete registration**: Fill out your study protocol, hypotheses, and analysis plan |
| 71 | +3. **Submit**: Create a time-stamped, unchangeable registration before data collection |
| 72 | +4. **Share**: Make your pre-registration public immediately or after a specified embargo period |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +## How does it work/more detailed instructions |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +### Project management features |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +#### Collaboration tools |
| 79 | +- **User permissions**: Assign read, write, or admin access to different collaborators |
| 80 | +- **Activity tracking**: Monitor all project activities through the project log |
| 81 | +- **Comments**: Add comments to files and project components for team communication |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +#### External integrations |
| 84 | +Connect your OSF project to external services: |
| 85 | +- **GitHub**: Link code repositories and sync commits |
| 86 | +- **Google Drive, Dropbox, Box**: Connect cloud storage accounts |
| 87 | +- **Zotero, Mendeley**: Link reference management libraries |
| 88 | +- **Figshare, Dataverse**: Connect to external data repositories |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +#### Version control and backup |
| 91 | +- **File versions**: Access previous versions of any uploaded file |
| 92 | +- **Change tracking**: See what was changed, when, and by whom |
| 93 | +- **Backup**: All files are backed up and stored on multiple servers |
| 94 | + |
| 95 | +### Making research public |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +#### Publishing workflow |
| 98 | +1. **Prepare materials**: Organize all research files, data, and documentation |
| 99 | +2. **Add metadata**: Include comprehensive descriptions, tags, and contributor information |
| 100 | +3. **Choose license**: Select appropriate licensing for your materials (CC0, CC BY, etc.) |
| 101 | +4. **Make public**: Change project visibility from private to public |
| 102 | +5. **Get DOI**: Public projects automatically receive a permanent DOI |
| 103 | + |
| 104 | +#### FAIR principles compliance |
| 105 | +OSF supports FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles: |
| 106 | +- **Findable**: Projects are indexed and searchable, with permanent DOIs |
| 107 | +- **Accessible**: Public projects remain permanently accessible |
| 108 | +- **Interoperable**: Supports multiple file formats and metadata standards |
| 109 | +- **Reusable**: Clear licensing and detailed documentation support reuse |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | +### Best practices |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +#### Project organization |
| 114 | +- Use clear, descriptive project and component names |
| 115 | +- Create a logical folder structure that others can understand |
| 116 | +- Include a README file explaining your project structure |
| 117 | +- Use consistent file naming conventions |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +#### Documentation |
| 120 | +- Add detailed descriptions to projects, components, and files |
| 121 | +- Use the wiki feature to document protocols and procedures |
| 122 | +- Include information about software versions and analysis environments |
| 123 | +- Document data collection procedures and variable definitions |
| 124 | + |
| 125 | +#### Collaboration |
| 126 | +- Set up appropriate permission levels for different team members |
| 127 | +- Use the comment system for file-specific discussions |
| 128 | +- Maintain an active project log by using descriptive commit messages |
| 129 | +- Regular team check-ins to ensure everyone understands the project structure |
| 130 | + |
| 131 | +## Contact |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | +For questions about using OSF: |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +- **OSF Support**: Contact OSF support directly through their help system at [help.osf.io](https://help.osf.io) |
| 136 | +- **VU RDM Support**: For questions about integrating OSF into your VU research workflow, contact [rdm@vu.nl](mailto:rdm@vu.nl) |
| 137 | +- **Training resources**: OSF provides extensive documentation and tutorials at [help.osf.io](https://help.osf.io) |
| 138 | +- **Community**: Join the OSF community forums for peer support and best practices sharing |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +OSF also offers regular webinars and training sessions that can help researchers get the most out of the platform's features. |
0 commit comments