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Add Open Science Framework (OSF) tool topic
- Comprehensive coverage of OSF as research collaboration platform - Covers project management, data storage, and pre-registration features - Details integration workflows and best practices - Includes FAIR principles compliance and community features 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
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topics/osf.qmd

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---
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title: Open Science Framework (OSF)
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categories: [Tools]
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---
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## What is it?
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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.
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## What can it be used for?
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OSF can be used for:
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- **Project management**: Organize research projects with hierarchical folder structures and component organization
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- **Collaboration**: Share projects and files with team members, assign different permission levels
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- **File storage**: Store research files with version control and backup functionality (up to 50GB per private project)
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- **Pre-registration**: Create time-stamped pre-registrations of study protocols and analysis plans
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- **Data and code sharing**: Make research materials openly accessible with permanent DOIs
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- **Integration**: Connect external services like GitHub, Google Drive, Dropbox, Zotero, and Mendeley
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- **Preprint sharing**: Upload and share preprints through affiliated preprint servers
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- **Wiki documentation**: Create project documentation and protocols using the built-in wiki
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- **Research transparency**: Implement open science practices throughout the research workflow
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## How to request access
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OSF is freely available to all researchers worldwide. No institutional access request is needed:
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1. **Create account**: Go to [https://osf.io](https://osf.io) and sign up with your email address
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2. **VU affiliation**: When creating your account, you can indicate your VU Amsterdam affiliation
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3. **Institutional login**: You may also be able to log in using your institutional credentials through ORCID or other identity providers
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## Are there costs involved?
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OSF is completely free to use for all researchers. There are no costs for:
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- Account creation and maintenance
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- File storage (up to 50GB per private project, unlimited for public projects)
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- Collaboration features
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- Pre-registration services
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- DOI assignment for public projects
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- Integration with external services
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## Getting started
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### Creating your first project
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1. **Sign up**: Create your OSF account at [osf.io](https://osf.io)
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2. **Create project**: Click "Create new project" from your dashboard
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3. **Project details**: Add a title and description for your research project
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4. **Privacy settings**: Choose whether to make your project public or keep it private
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5. **Add collaborators**: Invite team members and assign appropriate permissions (read, write, admin)
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### Organizing your project
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#### Project structure
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- **Components**: Create sub-projects for different aspects of your research (e.g., Data, Analysis, Materials)
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- **Folders**: Organize files within each component using folder structures
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- **Tags**: Add tags to make your project more discoverable
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#### File management
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- **Upload files**: Drag and drop files directly into your project
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- **Version control**: OSF automatically tracks file versions when you upload updates
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- **File linking**: Link to files stored in connected external services
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### Pre-registration
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OSF provides robust pre-registration capabilities:
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1. **Choose template**: Select from various pre-registration templates (PSA, AsPredicted, etc.)
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2. **Complete registration**: Fill out your study protocol, hypotheses, and analysis plan
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3. **Submit**: Create a time-stamped, unchangeable registration before data collection
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4. **Share**: Make your pre-registration public immediately or after a specified embargo period
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## How does it work/more detailed instructions
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### Project management features
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#### Collaboration tools
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- **User permissions**: Assign read, write, or admin access to different collaborators
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- **Activity tracking**: Monitor all project activities through the project log
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- **Comments**: Add comments to files and project components for team communication
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#### External integrations
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Connect your OSF project to external services:
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- **GitHub**: Link code repositories and sync commits
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- **Google Drive, Dropbox, Box**: Connect cloud storage accounts
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- **Zotero, Mendeley**: Link reference management libraries
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- **Figshare, Dataverse**: Connect to external data repositories
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#### Version control and backup
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- **File versions**: Access previous versions of any uploaded file
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- **Change tracking**: See what was changed, when, and by whom
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- **Backup**: All files are backed up and stored on multiple servers
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### Making research public
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#### Publishing workflow
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1. **Prepare materials**: Organize all research files, data, and documentation
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2. **Add metadata**: Include comprehensive descriptions, tags, and contributor information
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3. **Choose license**: Select appropriate licensing for your materials (CC0, CC BY, etc.)
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4. **Make public**: Change project visibility from private to public
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5. **Get DOI**: Public projects automatically receive a permanent DOI
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#### FAIR principles compliance
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OSF supports FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles:
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- **Findable**: Projects are indexed and searchable, with permanent DOIs
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- **Accessible**: Public projects remain permanently accessible
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- **Interoperable**: Supports multiple file formats and metadata standards
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- **Reusable**: Clear licensing and detailed documentation support reuse
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### Best practices
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#### Project organization
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- Use clear, descriptive project and component names
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- Create a logical folder structure that others can understand
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- Include a README file explaining your project structure
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- Use consistent file naming conventions
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#### Documentation
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- Add detailed descriptions to projects, components, and files
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- Use the wiki feature to document protocols and procedures
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- Include information about software versions and analysis environments
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- Document data collection procedures and variable definitions
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#### Collaboration
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- Set up appropriate permission levels for different team members
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- Use the comment system for file-specific discussions
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- Maintain an active project log by using descriptive commit messages
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- Regular team check-ins to ensure everyone understands the project structure
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## Contact
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For questions about using OSF:
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- **OSF Support**: Contact OSF support directly through their help system at [help.osf.io](https://help.osf.io)
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- **VU RDM Support**: For questions about integrating OSF into your VU research workflow, contact [rdm@vu.nl](mailto:rdm@vu.nl)
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- **Training resources**: OSF provides extensive documentation and tutorials at [help.osf.io](https://help.osf.io)
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- **Community**: Join the OSF community forums for peer support and best practices sharing
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OSF also offers regular webinars and training sessions that can help researchers get the most out of the platform's features.

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