The State of Open Data 2023

Global attitudes towards open data

The State of Open Data is a global survey providing insights into researchers’ attitudes towards and experiences of open data. Now in its eighth year, we are delighted to once again partner with Digital Science and Figshare on the longest running survey and analysis on open data.

The State of Open Data 2023 white paper provides valuable insights based on 6,091 survey responses, and also offers some recommendations on actions that need to be taken to better support the research community as it moves towards an open data future.

In addition, this year sees the first publication of a partner report by the Computer Network Information Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, looking at open data in China.

In partnership:

Digital Science © Digital Science

figshare - The State of Open Data 2019 © figshare

New supplementary report

From theory to practice: Case studies and commentary from libraries, publishers, funders and industry

For the first time in the history of The State of Open Data comes a supplementary report that expands upon the results of our years of surveys. From theory to practice offers real-life perspectives on the opportunities and challenges of sharing research data openly, giving us unique viewpoints as told by members of our research community – industry, funders, academic institutions, and publishers.

By sharing their case studies, the authors of this report enhance the experience of The State of Open Data 2023’s key findings and recommendations. Here we see how some of those recommendations are being put into practice, and the effort being made to ensure open research has a robust, meaningful, sustainable, and impactful future.

Key findings from The State of Open Data 2023 white paper

P_State of open data 2023 © Springer Nature 2023The 2023 survey showed that the key motivations for researchers to share their data remain very similar to previous years, with full citation of research papers or a data citation ranking highly. 89% of respondents also said they make their data available publicly, however almost three quarters of respondents had never received support with planning, managing or sharing research data.

One size does not fit all

Variations in responses from different areas of expertise and geographies highlight a need for a more nuanced approach to research data management support globally. For example, 64% of respondents supported the idea of a national mandate for making research data openly available, with Indian and German respondents more likely to support this idea (both 71%).

Credit is an ongoing issue

For eight years running, our survey has revealed a recurring concern among researchers: the perception that they don't receive sufficient recognition for openly sharing their data. 60% of respondents said they receive too little credit for sharing their data.

AI awareness hasn’t translated to action

For the first time, this year we asked survey respondents to indicate if they were using ChatGPT or similar AI tools for data collection, data processing and metadata collection. The most common response to all three questions was ‘I’m aware of these tools but haven’t considered it.’

Research Data Community

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Our Research Data Community is a growing forum of advocates for the sharing of research data. It is a great place to interact with other researchers, read the latest information on research data and help advance data sharing practices.


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Research data support

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Springer Nature is committed to supporting researchers in sharing research data and in receiving the credit you deserve. Find out about how we can help you to make sharing your research data faster, easier and more impactful.


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