The State of Open Data

Global attitudes towards open data

Cover SOOD 2025 final © Springer NatureFor ten years, The State of Open Data has surveyed and reported on researchers’ experiences of – and attitudes towards – data sharing. The report has become a key reference point for research stakeholders seeking to understand the open data landscape and to support meaningful change.

In 2025, we mark the 10th anniversary with The State of Open Data: A Decade of Progress and Challenges, which looks back at how researcher attitudes, behaviours, and policies around open data have evolved over the past decade—and what still needs to change. Publishing 26 January 2026.

In partnership with:

Digital Science © Digital Science

figshare - The State of Open Data 2019 © figshare

Webinar

Wednesday, 11 February 2026, 3-4 pm GMT | 10-11 am EST

Join us during Love Data Week for a live webinar as we:

  • Share headline findings from the 2025 report The State of Open Data: A decade of progress and challenges, highlighting how researcher behaviour and sentiment have shifted over the last decade.
  • Explore the policies, infrastructures and community initiatives that have helped to move the needle on open data – and where gaps still remain.
  • Discuss ongoing challenges around incentives, recognition, and support for data sharing across disciplines and regions.
  • Consider what the next decade of open data might look like, and how funders, institutions, publishers and infrastructure providers can work together to drive equitable, sustainable progress.

Plus, take part in a dedicated Q&A session to engage directly with experts and help shape priorities for the decade ahead.

> More information & register to join

The State of Open Data 2024: Bridging policy and practice in data sharing

State of Open Data 2024 Special Report © Springer NatureThe 2024 special report ‘Bridging policy and practice in data sharing’ took an in-depth look into what drives good data sharing practices globally. Direct author-sharing practices were analysed at a funder, country and institutional level. The resulting data showed key trends driving successful open sharing and the growth of global adoption, and enabled recommendations to be drawn to help bridge gaps between policy and practice.

Special Report 2024 - What's it all about?

Mark Hahnel, Figshare’s founder and VP Open Research at Digital Science, and Graham Smith, Open Data Programme Manager at Springer Nature, sat down to discuss why this investigation into open research practices is important in building a more equitable research ecosystem.

Why is this investigation into open research practices important?

What's new about the 2024 State of Open Data report?

What are your hopes for how the findings might help create a more open research ecosystem?

The State of Open Data in China 2024

SOOD 2024 China report cover © Springer NatureA long-term focus on Chinese scholar's attitudes towards open data, their sharing practice, and the policy environment. 

A partner report by the Computer Network Information Centre (CNIC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Science Data Bank.

> Download the report

The State of Open Data 2023

White paper: The State of Open Data 2023 © Springer Nature 2023The 2023 survey showed that the key motivations for researchers to share their data remain 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.

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. 64% of respondents supported the idea of a national mandate for making research data openly available.

Credit is an ongoing issue

The 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

We asked survey respondents to indicate if they were using AI tools for data collection and processing. The most common response was ‘I’m aware of these tools but haven’t considered it.’

Supplementary reports based on the 2023 survey

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

This supplementary report that expands upon the results of our years of surveys. "From theory to practice" provides real-life perspectives from various research community members on open research data sharing.

The Global Lens: Highlighting national nuances in researchers attitudes to open data

This report looks at data collected from the survey over the past 8 years and takes a deep dive into responses from different countries, demonstrating that global trends don’t always align with national trends.

Open Data in China

A partner report by the Computer Network Information Centre (CNIC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, looking at Chinese researchers’ attitudes towards and experiences of open data based on the survey.

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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