There are two ways to apply Open Science to your own research: passively, as a consumer, by reusing materials produced by other researchers; or actively, as a producer, by making your own materials open access and sharing them. You can get started in both directions, even with small steps. It’s best to start with the area that comes most naturally to you.

Each of these six main areas of Open Science offers opportunities for active participation and reuse:

• Open Access: Publish research results in an open way, and make them usable – or reusable – and accessible for each person
• Open Data: Make research data as public and reusable as possible and available for others to reuse
• Open Educational Resources: Using free and open materials for education and in teaching, and making them available yourself
• Open Methodology: Document or reuse the application of methods as well as the entire process behind them, if this is practicable and relevant
• Open Source: Use open source technologies (hardware and software) and open up – or reuse your own technologies
• Open Peer Review: Transparent and replicable quality assurance through Open Peer Review