Open Science Framework Facilitates Effective Research Project Management

OSF (Open Science Framework) is a free online tool that supports project management throughout the research lifecycle for all disciplines. Thanks to the University of Chicago Library’s OSF institutional membership, UChicago researchers can easily create an OSF account using their CNet ID.

Maintained by the Center for Open Science, OSF provides free online space for researchers to store and share resources with collaborators. Moreover, you can connect OSF with other online tools to streamline workflow and to enhance efficiency. These features make it a versatile platform for research project management.

Another common use of OSF is to provide access to research outputs such as preprints and research data. An author can post their preprint (i.e., a manuscript that has not gone through peer review) on OSF to speed up knowledge dissemination and to invite feedback. As OSF provides a time stamp and a digital object identifier (DOI) for the uploaded document, making your preprint available on OSF enables you to establish precedence for your research.

Additionally, you can share the underlying data for a research publication via OSF. The National Institutes of Health has been promoting OSF as one of the free generalist repositories for research data sharing. If you have questions concerning how to go about sharing research data, feel free to contact the Center for Digital Scholarship.

More information about different uses of OSF is available from this guide. If you would like to learn more about OSF, you can sign up for webinars hosted by the Center for Open Science. You are also welcome to contact the Center for Digital Scholarship.