Commitments to open science
Sorbonne University is committed to open science and free open access to scientific publications. Its researchers are encouraged to file their publications in the Sorbonne University HAL open archive as soon as they are published.
To support research staff, the Sorbonne University Library answers questions relating to the publication of their work and its open access dissemination. It also offers training and awareness-raising activities on the issues, tools and best open science practices.
Training for research staff can include drafting of a data management plan (DMP) and best practices for managing data throughout a reserach projet. This can also extend to support in managing and disseminating research data.
The University's commitments to open access to scientific publications and open data
By mutual agreement, Sorbonne University, its research staff and doctoral students agree to respect a policy concerning open access to publications. By depositing the full text of an article in the open archive HAL at Sorbonne University as soon as it’s published and then referencing the author’s other types of publications, research staff and PhD students contribute to the open access dissemination of their publications. Sorbonne University supports them by facilitating the depositing of publications, by ensuring their long-term archiving and by training the University community in the best practices of open access.
Sorbonne University, its research staff and doctoral students have agreed to respect a policy concerning open access to publications. By depositing complete articles in the open archive HAL, all research staff and PhD students can access these published articles which then reference the author’s other types of publications. This actively contributes to the open access dissemination. Sorbonne University supports them by facilitating this process, by ensuring their long-term archiving and by training the University community in the best practices of open access.
The Sorbonne University Policy on open access provides the following:
- An awareness of the academic community of the societal and scientific issues of open access and open science
- Local transposition of national policies for the implementation of open access and the facilitation of the depositing and reporting of publications in the Sorbonne University HAL
- Supporting research staff and doctoral students in the publication process.
- The promotion of "bibliodiversity" in the spirit of the Jussieu Call.
The research staff and doctoral students of Sorbonne University commit to:
- Act in favour of open science and open access to publications in the exercise of their various responsibilities
- Check the adequacy of publishing contracts with the Sorbonne University's policy on open access.
- Privilege open access over a hybrid publication when an article is subject to publication charges (Article Processing Charges)
- Create and use IdHAL and ORCID identifiers that allow them to unambiguously identify themselves as authors of their publications and promote the visibility of their scientific production.
Download the open access policy document, voted in the Research Commission of the Academic Council on 28 March 2019
- Open research data policy within the Sorbonne University Alliance
Since its creation, the Sorbonne University Alliance has chosen to be fully involved in the open science movement, allowing access to knowledge for all. With this in mind, it is committed to opening up the results of the research produced within its institutions and promoting their dissemination, in order to share with citizens the fruits of their contribution to public research and to develop a trustworthy science.
Download the text presented to the Research Commission on June 24, 2021
- The Sorbonne Declaration on Research Data Rights
The International Research Data Rights Summit, was held at Sorbonne University on Monday, January 27, 2020. This initiative brought together intensive research universities from nine major networks in major regions of the world. It was an opportunity to sign the "Sorbonne Declaration" on research data rights. This text energetically affirms the universities' willingness to share their data while firmly calling on governments to adopt a clear legal framework to regulate this sharing and to provide the means to put it in place.
Co-organized by Sorbonne University, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the University College of London (UCL), this data summit is unprecedented in its scale: nine networks representing more than 160 of the main research-intensive universities in the world. The signing of the “Sorbonne Declaration” is an ambitious message to the international scientific community and to research funding bodies and governments. This framework document, intended to promote the sharing and proper use of data, calls on the public and private research communities to join this commitment. It also confronts governments and research funders with their responsibilities of providing universities with the financial means and the appropriate legal framework to open data.
This is an essential issue for the quality and transparency of research. It is also a crucial economic issue: funded largely by public money, research data represents tens of billions of euros worldwide. The objective is therefore to make these data accessible in order to accelerate scientific discoveries and economic development. For example, in Europe, according to a PwC1 report produced by the European Commission, sharing and better managing research data would save 10.2 billion euros per year in Europe, with an additional potential of 16 billion euros of added value by the innovation generated.
The Participants are driving this change by proposing concrete solutions to restore confidence in public research and accelerate the development of knowledge and the economy.
[1] Cost of not having FAIR research data, PwC EU Services, March 2018
The signatory networks:
- Association of American Universities (AAU) : Founded in 1900, the Association of American Universities is composed of the 65 largest American research universities.
- African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) : The ARUA was inaugurated in Dakar in March 2015, bringing together sixteen of Africa's leading research universities.
- Coordination of French Intensive Research Universities (CURIF) : The CURIF brings together the 18 most important French research-intensive universities.
- German U15 : German U15 represents 15 top-level intensive research universities, among the most distinguished and internationally visible institutions of the German university system.
- League of European Research Universities (LERU) : The LERU is a network of 23 leading European universities pushing the frontiers of research.
- Canadian Association of Research Universities (U15) : The Canadian Association of Research Universities is a group of several of Canada's major research universities.
- RU11 Japan: RU11 is a consortium created in November 2009, composed of 11 of Japan's top research universities, very active in the international academic community.
- Russell Group : The Russell Group represents 24 world-renowned UK research-intensive universities.
- The Group of Eight (Go8) : The Group of Eight is a coalition of world-class research-intensive universities based in Australia.
Download the Sorbonne Declaration on Research Data Rights.
Sorbonne University is committed to enhancing the content and intrinsic quality of the open scientific production of Sorbonne University research staff and doctoral students in accordance with the principles set out in the Sorbonne University Policy for Open Access to Publications.
Download the text presented to the Research Commission on February 4, 2021
San Francisco Declaration on research Assessment (DORA)
As an extension of this policy, Sorbonne University is also a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), and is committed to applying its principles to improve methods for assessing the results of scientific research.
Read the San Francisco Declaration
Agreement on the reform of research evaluation
In 2022, Sorbonne University signed the agreement on the reform of research evaluation which lists ten commitments to establish a common policy bringing together universities, research centres and institutes, evaluation agencies as well as public and private research funders.
Read Coalition for advancing research assessment (COARA) reform agreement approved in July 2022
Training for researchers and academic researchers
The Sorbonne University Library, in partnership with the Staff Training Department, offers support on the principles, tools and practices of open science.
If you are wondering what open science is, how to meet the requirements of funders, how to make a data management plan, how to share and archive your data and source codes, or how to manage your academic digital identifiers, the library team is at your disposal to accompany you.
Whether you are an academic researcher or research support staff, don't hesitate to register!
- Download the 2023-2024 training catalog (in French).
- To register for training courses, please complet the online form.
- Find training materials on Zenodo
Doctoral competencies framework : Research Ethics, Scientific Integrity and Open Science
Download the Doctoral competencies framework
Sorbonne University'sOpen Science Monitor
Open science is one of Sorbonne University's four strategic axes highlighted in its 2019-2024 Strategic Plan. As part of this proactive policy, the establishment adopted a charter in 2019 for open access to publications in which the institution undertakes to "locally transpose the national policies for implementing open access and facilitate the deposit and reporting of publications in the HAL open archive" and in which satff undertake to deposit their articles and conference proceedings in full text in the same open archive.
In order to measure the effects of this policy, the establishment has chosen to apply the Open Science Monitor (BSO) , implemented by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR), at local level. Its aim is to measure the evolution of open access and publication practices within the research community.
Your contacts
Advisor for Open Science, Academic Publishing and Heritage:
Anne Catherin Fritzinger, Director of the Sorbonne University Libray : Anne-Catherine Fritzinger
BSU Publications & Open Access Department:
- For all questions relating to referencing and depositong publications in HAL Sorbonne Université : hal@sorbonne-universite.fr
- For all other questions related to publications: publications@sorbonne-universite.fr
Research Data and Digital Humanities Team:
The team can help you draw up your data management plans. They can also advise you on how to manage and share your data: :data-bsu@sorbonne-universite.fr
Archives and records Department:
sara-archives@sorbonne-universite.fr
Scientific and Heritage Collections Department:
Stéphane Jouve, Head of Geosciences Collections at the Scientific and Heritage Collections Department: Stéphane Jouve