Publications to download
Most publications to download from our website are in the Slovak language. There are more publications on the Slovak version of website under the drop down menu Na stiahnutie.
General information
Let’s open science!
An information brochure in English about activities of the Open Science Support Department of the Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information.
A Guide to the World of Scientific Publishing
(Sprievodca svetom vedeckého publikovania)
Second updated edition of the textbook published in Slovak in 2023.
A guide to the world of scholarly publishing takes the reader from the dawn of the first scholarly journals to the latest open publishing platforms. It follows the journey of a scholarly article from conception and writing to finding a trusted journal and the pitfalls of peer review, to publishing, assessing research, managing electronic information resources, and envisioning the future of libraries in the digital age.
An electronic version of the publication is available in the Zenodo open repository (https://zenodo.org/record/3236329) or at otvorenaveda.cvtisr.sk.
For the print version, contact us at zuzana.stozicka@cvtisr.sk.
Methodological documents
Methodological Recommendations for Creating an Institutional Repository
(Metodické odporúčanie na tvorbu inštitucionálneho repozitára – 2025)
The recommendation is intended to assist institutional management and library staff in building and implementing an institutional repository.
The documents are available in Slovak only on website for open science of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and in the Zenodo repository (https://zenodo.org/records/15075476).
Methodological Recommendations for Developing a Data Management Plan
(Metodické odporúčanie na tvorbu DMP – 2025)
The recommendation provides information and guidance on developing a data management plan. It is are primarily intended for funding agencies that provide publicly funded grants. It helps to define the structure and type of research data management plan for data generated during publicly funded research. The recommendations may also be used by other research funders or scientific, research, and academic institutions when establishing guidelines for research data management within their organizations.
The document is available in Slovak only on website for open science of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and in the Zenodo repository (https://zenodo.org/records/14988618).
Methodological Recommendations for Developing and Implementing an Institutional Open Science Policy for Research Performing Institutions and Open Science Policy Model
(Metodické odporúčanie na tvorbu a implementáciu inštitucionálnej politiky otvorenej vedy pre inštitúcie vykonávajúce vedu a výskum – 2025, Model politiky otvorenej vedy – 2022)
Activities and measures related to open access to scientific outputs are currently embedded in the broader context of open science. Open science policies are established and implemented at the national and institutional levels. Academic, research, and scientific institutions, as well as funding agencies, implement institutional open science policies tailored to their specific needs and capabilities. These recommendations serve as a guide for institutional management in developing and implementing institutional open science policies. Part of the policy is an Open Science Policy Model.
The document is available in Slovak only on website for open science of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and in the Zenodo repository (https://zenodo.org/records/14988618).
Surveys and analyses
Case Study on the Use of OSS at Comenius University in Bratislava
(Prípadová štúdia využívania otvorených IT nástrojov na Univerzite Komenského UK v Bratislave – 2025)
The main objective of the study and the survey conducted as part of it was to map the current situation regarding open-source software at Comenius University in Bratislava and, at the same time, to develop a methodology through which the use of open-source software can be mapped at the national level in other institutions and organizations in the academic and scientific spheres.
The initiative yielded useful findings and identified areas for improvement, particularly in the areas of communication, education, collaboration, and information dissemination. A systematic and targeted approach in the next phase can significantly strengthen the use of open-source software and increase the effectiveness of their implementation across the university.
The survey was conducted in 2025.
The publication is available in Slovak only in the Zenodo repository (https://zenodo.org/records/17950014).
Analysis of APCs paid by Slovak research performing institutions for gold OA publishing in 2021
Publishing in open access is becoming a standard in Europe and Slovakia. Costs paid for scholarly communication present a significant part of the costs for science. A substantial part of this amount comes from the state or European Commission budgets, i.e., from public finances.
In this analysis, we used the data from the Web of Science database. We made an estimate of the total amount and structure of the funds (considering paying institutions, accepting publishers and journal titles) spent by the authors from the Slovak research institutions in 2021 on scholarly publishing in open access journals (APCs, article processing charges).
Description of the study:
Data for 2021 were extracted from the Web of Science in 2022.
The analysis is part of The Slovak National Strategy for Open Science 2021-2028. it was one of the tasks of the Action Plan for Open Science 2021-2022.
The main aim of the APCs analysis was to determine the amount of APCs paid by researchers in Slovak institutions in 2021.
The second goal was to find out in which journals/publishers Slovak institutions published the most.
The study also showed how many APCs were paid to “controversial” publishers.
The study provided data for negotiating transformative agreements with big publishers. Three such agreements were concluded with Springer Nature, IEEE and Elsevier early in 2023 and they directly support researchers affiliated with Slovak research performing and academic institutions as they do not have to pay themselves for publishing in open access. Thanks to these agreements, more OA articles published by Slovak institutions will also be published in the following years.
In addition, policymakers, RPIs and academic institutions, and funders can use the study results when preparing open access and open science policies and budgets for open access publishing.
The study is available in Slovak in the Zenodo repository.