WHY OPEN ACCESS IS IMPORTANT

Open data is an essential part of open science. More research foundations, journals, and institutions are requiring the implementation of obligations regarding data sharing in the community when this is not in opposition with, for example, patent legislation or the protection of personal data.
Similarly, it is necessary to respect the legitimate rights of data creators so they can use the data first for their own publications and to ensure that the bibliographic citation with the title and authorship of the research data is respected as an independent scientific achievement equal to publications in journals. Open access of research data also results in increased citations of the publication in which the data was analysed.
More funders are requiring open access to research results co-funded with public funds. Open access to and the reuse of research data make possible the formation of new conclusions, the verification of data published to date, the combination of different data, interdisciplinary exchange in national and international frameworks, and reduced costs of research along with improved quality. Open access to publications on the web without subscription and copyright restrictions benefits the researchers, institutions, countries, and societies. For researchers and research institutions it means:

• more rapid dissemination of scientific findings,
• larger numbers of readers,
• greater visibility of the results of scientific work, and
• potentially higher citation rates of authors.