Researchers may know the Open Science Framework (OSF) as a free, open-source infrastructure that has encouraged the organization, connection, and sharing of research outputs, including data, materials, code, registrations, and publications. It has also been a useful resource for storing, managing, and collaborating on files throughout one’s research process.
However, the Center for Open Science (COS) is making significant changes to the functionality of OSF. Moving forward, OSF will prioritize the preparation of study plans and preregistrations, as well as linking related data, materials, and code. It will also continue to support the sharing of preprints and papers. Nevertheless, due to funding limitations, OSF will no longer permit project and file management, private storage for newly added files, or the sharing of new data, materials, and code. Previously stored private projects will also be deleted, with users given 12 months’ advance notice.
Key deadlines
- November 16, 2026: Creating new OSF Projects or child components will no longer be possible
- February 19, 2027: Existing OSF Projects, links and DOI identifiers will still be accessible, but become read-only
Next steps for researchers
If your OSF project is still active or private, review whether its contents can be made public. If they need to remain private, consider moving them to another storage location. Move ongoing work to another appropriate repository or storage location. If you need somewhere to store future research outputs, use an appropriate repository for your data, materials, code, or other outputs, and link these outputs to OSF registrations or preprints where relevant.
How to choose an alternative data repository
Depending on your research needs, possible alternatives include Zenodo, GitHub, ResearchBox, Dataverse, and PsychArchives. Daniel Lakens gives a thorough comparison of these repositories in his blog post, which considers factors such as the type of research output, the properties offered by each platform, and the researcher’s technical skills. He also discusses the benefits and weaknesses of each software and how they may suit your specific research field and aim.
For more details on what these changes mean for your OSF content, see the OSF Projects transition help guide, and for further direction on how to select a new data repository, visit the OSF list of recommendations.