Open Science badges
Incentives for transparent science
What are Open Science badges?
Open Science Badges are visual identifiers awarded by scientific journals to reward open science practices. They serve as an incentive for researchers to make their data, materials or preregistrations publicly accessible, thereby increasing the reproducibility and transparency of scientific work.
These badges provide readers with a quick overview of whether key elements of a study have been made accessible. They also confirm that this content is stored in a permanent location so that it can be reused or reviewed by other researchers.
Currently, over 100 scientific journals award Open Science badges as a visible distinction for the disclosure of:
- Data (Open Data Badge) – Confirmation that the raw data used for a study is complete and publicly accessible.
- Materials (Open Materials Badge) – Indicates that the materials used for the research, such as stimuli, code or questionnaires, are freely available.
- Preregistration (Preregistered Badge) – Indicates that the hypotheses and analysis methods were determined before the study was conducted in order to minimize selection or publication bias.
A current list of scientific journals that use Open Science badges is available here: TOP Factor – Open Science Badges.
Effect of open science badges
Research on the effectiveness of open science badges shows that their introduction is associated with a significant increase in data transparency in scientific publications. A study by Kidwell et al. (2016) showed that the proportion of published data sets in a psychological journal increased from 3% to 39% following the introduction of open science badges (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002456 ).
One explanation for this development is that open science badges not only act as individual recognition for researchers, but also help to establish open science practices as a community norm. When scientists see that colleagues share their data and materials, they are more willing to do the same.
Two factors are crucial for open science badges to have a lasting impact: firstly, visibility in the publications: Badges should be placed directly in the table of contents or in the published work in a clearly recognizable way so that readers are immediately aware of the availability of the underlying data and materials. Secondly, clear guidelines and encouragement to participate are needed: journals should inform authors early on about the possibility of awarding badges and encourage them to disclose their research accordingly.
Awarding and use of open science badges
Scientific journals can award Open Science badges in two different ways: Path (1) means self-declaration by the authors, i.e. researchers confirm that they have published their data, materials or preregistrations. The information is usually documented by a link to a public archive (e.g. Open Science Framework, Zenodo or figshare). Path (2) would be peer review or editorial review. Some journals carry out an additional check to ensure that the data is actually accessible and meets the specified standards.
A detailed guide to awarding Open Science Badges is available here: OSF – Awarding Badges.
Free use and availability
The Open Science badges are freely available and can be used by journals, institutions and researchers, provided the source is cited. The official badge graphics are available for download: OSF – Open Science Badges.
By using these badges, scientific journals and authors can help promote open science and contribute to the further dissemination of transparency standards in the research community.
*The text was written on March 14, 2025.
This text was translated on March 17, 2025 using DeeplPro.