Awareness and Use of Open Research Practices: An International Survey

April 11, 2026

How widely are Open Research Practices (ORPs) known and used across the global research community? A new preprint based on an international survey of over 3,000 researchers across 45 countries and 24 disciplines provides insight into this question. This survey was circulated at LMU Munich through the LMU Open Science Center and co-authored by OSC coordinator Dr. Malika Ihle and managing director Prof. Dr. Felix Schönbrodt.

Read the full preprint here: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/edzxf_v1

The study examines both awareness and use of common ORPs. The results show that awareness of these practices is generally high, particularly for:

However, a consistent gap emerges between awareness and actual use. Among the practices studied, only Open Access publishing is used by more than half of the respondents. Other practices, such as preregistration, registered reports, replication, and research co-production, remain comparatively underutilized. The study also highlights important differences across regions, disciplines, methodologies, and career stages.

These findings suggest that the adoption of ORPs is shaped by both disciplinary norms and institutional contexts. Researchers identified several key strategies to support broader uptake of ORPs, including:

Overall, the study highlights that while awareness of Open Science is widespread, meaningful adoption remains uneven. Understanding these gaps can help inform targeted training, policy development, and institutional support to advance open and reproducible research.