IOP Publishing launches free open data course for early career researchers
07 Apr 2026 by Faye Holst
IOPP's new open data training course
As transparent, reusable research data becomes increasingly central to research integrity, reproducibility and funder requirements, IOP Publishing has launched a new, free, open data training course designed to give early career researchers (ECRs) the practical skills and confidence they need to share and manage research data effectively.
The course has been developed in direct response to demand from the physical and environmental science communities. In 2024, IOP Publishing released a major study analysing data sharing practices across more than 30,000 published articles. It showed that although more researchers want to share their data, many still encounter a wide range of practical, ethical and technical barriers.
The course provides clear, hands‑on guidance to making research data openly available and demonstrates how strong data practices can enhance the visibility, credibility and impact of researchers’ work. Areas of focus include ethical considerations, repository selection, licensing and long‑term data stewardship.
Delivered entirely online and free of charge, the course enables learners to progress at their own pace, with content presented in bite-size modules. Participants receive a course certificate when passing all modules. Since the course is offered through the IOP Excellence training portal, learners can also take the popular, free Peer Review Excellence training which is offered through the same platform.
Laura Feetham-Walker, Reviewer Engagement Manager and lead course developer says: “We listen carefully to our community, and this course was developed because researchers told us what they needed. Open data is essential to scientific progress, supporting more transparent, reusable and trustworthy research. Our training offers researchers practical support so they can share their data with confidence, meet growing funder expectations and support greater transparency.”
IOP Publishing has long recognised the critical role that open data plays in strengthening research. Since 2022, it has required authors to include data availability statements outlining whether and how the data supporting their research can be accessed. It strengthened that policy in 2023 so that researchers who cannot share their data must explain why. More recently, in 2025, it piloted mandatory public data‑sharing in two Environmental Research journals further reinforcing its commitment to openness, reproducibility and trust in science.