diff --git a/bitcoin/src/blockdata/script/owned.rs b/bitcoin/src/blockdata/script/owned.rs
index b867e97f..3c9c9f47 100644
--- a/bitcoin/src/blockdata/script/owned.rs
+++ b/bitcoin/src/blockdata/script/owned.rs
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ impl ScriptBuf {
     }
 
     /// Generates OP_RETURN-type of scriptPubkey for the given data.
-    pub fn new_op_return<T: AsRef<PushBytes>>(data: &T) -> Self {
+    pub fn new_op_return<T: AsRef<PushBytes>>(data: T) -> Self {
         Builder::new().push_opcode(OP_RETURN).push_slice(data).into_script()
     }
 
diff --git a/bitcoin/src/blockdata/script/tests.rs b/bitcoin/src/blockdata/script/tests.rs
index a54c8aeb..ff45094a 100644
--- a/bitcoin/src/blockdata/script/tests.rs
+++ b/bitcoin/src/blockdata/script/tests.rs
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ fn script_generators() {
     // Test data are taken from the second output of
     // 2ccb3a1f745eb4eefcf29391460250adda5fab78aaddb902d25d3cd97d9d8e61 transaction
     let data = hex!("aa21a9ed20280f53f2d21663cac89e6bd2ad19edbabb048cda08e73ed19e9268d0afea2a");
-    let op_return = ScriptBuf::new_op_return(&data);
+    let op_return = ScriptBuf::new_op_return(data);
     assert!(op_return.is_op_return());
     assert_eq!(
         op_return.to_hex_string(),