Skip to main content
v2026.1714 entries · CC-BY 4.0
Dictionary termTrack CStablev2026.2

Open materials

The release of the non-data, non-code materials used in a study (stimuli, survey instruments, experimental protocols, training materials, intervention manuals) such that future investigators can re-implement the procedure.

ByCASRAI Editorial Board
· Last updated 21 May 2026

Examples

Worked examples

  • Is an instance

    A psychology paper depositing all 200 stimulus images on OSF with a CC-BY licence.

  • Is an instance

    An education trial depositing the full intervention manual on a public repository.

Counter-examples

Looks similar, but isn't

  • Not an instance

    A figure of example stimuli in the paper without the underlying set.

  • Not an instance

    A code release alone.

Editorial commentary

Open materials is one of three pillars of the Open Practices Badges (alongside open data and pre-registration). What constitutes 'materials' depends on field: in psychology, the stimuli and instruction text; in education, lesson plans; in chemistry, synthesis procedures and reagent provenance.

References

  • Kidwell et al., 'Badges to acknowledge open practices' (PLOS Biology, 2016).

Also known as

shared materials · open stimuli

Machine-readable encodings

Use in your systems

JATS XML <role> element
xml
<role vocab="credit"
      vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
      vocab-term="Open materials"
      vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/open-materials" />
Schema.org DefinedTerm (JSON-LD)
json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "DefinedTerm",
  "name": "Open materials",
  "identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/open-materials",
  "description": "The release of the non-data, non-code materials used in a study (stimuli, survey instruments, experimental protocols, training materials, intervention manuals) such that future investigators can re-implement the procedure.",
  "inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/reproducibility-and-computational-research/",
  "url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/open-materials",
  "sameAs": [
    "shared materials",
    "open stimuli"
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}

Adopted by research universities worldwide

University of Cambridge logoColumbia University logoUniversity of Edinburgh logoHarvard University logoMassachusetts Institute of Technology logoUniversity of Oxford logoPrinceton University logoStanford School of Medicine logoUniversity College London logoUniversity of Cambridge logoColumbia University logoUniversity of Edinburgh logoHarvard University logoMassachusetts Institute of Technology logoUniversity of Oxford logoPrinceton University logoStanford School of Medicine logoUniversity College London logo
  • University of Cambridge logo
  • Columbia University logo
  • University of Edinburgh logo
  • Harvard University logo
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology logo
  • University of Oxford logo
  • Princeton University logo
  • Stanford School of Medicine logo
  • University College London logo

View CASRAI adoption →