Workshops on Open Science and Research Data Management
Two workshops at the start of 2026 put the spotlight on critical topics in doctoral training: what happens to your data, and how you share your science with the world.
On the 5th to the 6th of February, Dr. Lennart Wittkuhn brought his expertise in computational reproducibility to the RTG with a two-day hands-on workshop on Research Data Management for Psychology and Neuroscience. The workshop focused on the practical aspects, such as how to organise data, write a Data Management Plan, use version control, and work with the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS). The content was tailored specifically to the kinds of data RTG members actually work with, making it immediately applicable to ongoing projects. Dr. Wittkuhn shared a wealth of knowledge from his experience in science, in the public sector as well as independent work in the field of computational reproducibility.
Building on this workshop, on the 8th of April Prof. Dr. Tina Lonsdorf led a session on Open Science, a topic that is reshaping how psychological and neuroscientific research is conducted and evaluated. The workshop covered open data practices, including the legal, ethical, and practical considerations involved, as well as the broader publishing landscape: pre-registration, registered reports, and open access. Participants also got an introduction to useful tools that can make open science practices easier to integrate into day-to-day research.
Together, the two workshops formed a natural pairing: one addressed managing and structuring data well from the start, while the other focused on how to make research transparent and accessible once it is completed. For PhD students at the outset of their projects, both sessions offered timely and concrete guidance in key topics.