Open science publication practices and data sharing in 2023 at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary: a cross-sectional descriptive analysis

Open science is a growing priority for research institutions, providing benefits such as improved transparency and reproducibility, faster dissemination, and enhanced collaboration. Recent years have seen the growth of several initiatives in the neuroscience community to foster open science. Our study analyzes open science practices among researchers at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), University of Calgary, based on an audit of one year of scholarly output. We analysed 990 peer-reviewed publications from 2023, whose authors included at least one HBI member. Data were extracted on open access status, presence and fulfillment of data and materials sharing, availability of computer code or software packages, assignment of persistent identifiers and licenses, and adherence to standardized reporting guidelines. Open-access publication was observed in 69 % of these articles, with a majority utilizing Gold and Hybrid Gold models. Data availability statements appeared in 62 % of articles, yet only 20 % provided direct open access to underlying data. Sharing of research materials occurred in 17 % of articles, and code or analysis scripts were shared in 9 % of studies. Assignment of persistent identifiers and open licenses to datasets, code or software was infrequent. Only 21 % of publications explicitly followed a transparent reporting guideline. Some open science practices like open access are more widely followed than other practices ( e.g. , sharing of material, software and code). These results provide a snapshot of adherence to open science practices and offer insight into where efforts may be directed to support a wider range of open science activities.