Submissions

Author Guidelines

Edinburgh Open Research Conference 2025 

Conference Date: Wednesday 4th June 2025 

Abstract Submission Deadline: January 12th 2025 

Submit: https://forms.office.com/e/cnMP0Wfb2V 

Notification of Acceptance/Rejection: March 7th

Open Research: What’s Stopping You? 

Open Research (OR) is no longer a new concept and is well supported by bodies such as UNESCO (https://www.unesco.org/en/open-science), the EU (https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/our-digital-future/open-science_en), and the US government (https://open.science.gov/). Many major research funders, governmental, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), now have OR policies and requirements that grant holders are expected to meet, and an increasing number of academic publishers expect research outputs supporting a publication to be released when an article is published. 

Despite all of this, the uptake of good OR practices is still slow and patchy among both researchers and those who support research; so, what is stopping us from embracing OR and the benefits that it can bring not only to  careers but to the wider international research community and society as a whole? 

The themes below cover some of the challenges we see for researchers, but it is not an exhaustive list, we are seeking contributions that explore the barriers to widespread OR adoption but also possible solutions that can be implemented by institutions, funders, and governments. 

Themes: 

• How applicable are different open research practices to different disciplines and research types? 

• How are technological advances, such as AI, helping and a hindering Open Research good practice? 

• Moral and ethical challenges to achieving Open Research, especially in qualitative sciences or when working with vulnerable, marginalised, or indigenous groups. 

• How do we move forward in the face of ongoing financial challenges and the seemingly intractable “publish or perish” approach to reward and recognition? 

• I faced these challenges and won! Case studies of successful Open Research at individual, group, discipline, or institutional level. 

We are seeking contributions addressing this question in the form of:  

• Talks (15mins) 

• Lightning Talks (5 mins) 

• Posters (A1 portrait format) 

We are keen to hear from speakers representative of a diversity of backgrounds (academic, professional services, and students) and research disciplines. We especially welcome contributions from early career researchers, junior professional services staff, and technicians. 

If you need support or special accommodations to help you to complete the submission process, please contact us directly at: kerry.miller@ed.ac.uk. 

Talks 

Talks should be 15 minutes in length leaving time for five minutes of discussion. Contributions can focus on any aspect of the conference themes. 

To submit a talk proposal, please send us an anonymised abstract of no more 300 words via the form below. 

Lightning Talks & Posters 

Lightning talks (maximum 5 minutes) and posters can focus on any aspect of Open Research more generally, including but not limited to: 

• How have you navigated the practical and ethical challenges of Open Research in your context? 

• How do we integrate FAIR data practices into research culture ethically and equitably? 

• What strategies exist for promoting healthy perspectives on research evaluation? 

• How can Open Research contribute to the training and career progression of junior professional services, technicians, and research staff? 

• What kind of policy shifts are needed to underpin real systemic changes? 

Poster contributors will be asked to offer a rapid 1-minute outline of their poster as part of the poster session at the end of the conference. 

To submit a poster or lightning talk, please send us an anonymised abstract of no more 200 words via the form below. 

Poster Prize 

A prize of a £50 voucher will be awarded to a poster at the conference. We are looking for visually engaging design that clearly explains contents, while also presenting an interesting and important insight into the themes of the conference. 

Submit:

https://forms.office.com/e/cnMP0Wfb2V