DATA SHARING AND DATA MANAGEMENT –

WHAT ARE THEY ALL ABOUT?

A joint presentation from the University of Queensland Library’s Scholarly Publishing and Digitisation Service and the

Research Information Service.

Reproduced or adapted from original copyright content provided under Creative Commons licence by The University of Queensland Library

Increasingly, data sharing is expected

by journal publishers

by funding bodies

by governments

by other researchers

by the public

But why is it important?

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BECAUSE, INCREASINGLY, YOU NEED THE DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE RESEARCH

Geoffrey Boulton* argues that since no journal can spare the space to publish the avalanche of data points that large-scale scientific experiments produce, the published paper has become more of an "advertisement" and

the "science sits in the underlying data".

* Quoted in An open and shut case? Debating the purposes of open science, a Royal Society PolicyLab meeting (mp3 file).

http://downloads.royalsociety.org/audio/Policy/policylab/2011-9-01SPSOpenScience.mp3

Geoffrey Boulton is a Fellow of the Royal Society and is currently leading the Society's project, Science as a Public Enterprise.

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WHY SHOULD RESEARCHERS SHARE DATA?

“The volume of scientific data, and the inter-connectedness of the systems under

study, makes integration of data a

necessity.

“… life scientists must integrate data from across biology and chemistry to comprehend disease and discover cures, and climate change scientists must

integrate data from wildly diverse disciplines to understand our current state and predict the impact of new policies.”Science Commons, Protocol for Implementing Open Access Data, http://sciencecommons.org/projects/publishing/open-access-data-protocol/

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WHY DON’T RESEARCHERS SHARE DATA?

Scientists have tended to regard their data as personal property.

After all, it is they who worked hard to generate it—and

ownership has never been seriously challenged.

Geoffrey Boulton et al (2011) ‘Science as a public enterprise: the case for open

data’, The Lancet, 377 (9778) : 1633-1635.

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60647-8

“Much more is understood about why researchers do not share data than about when, why, and how researchers do share data …”

Christine Borgman 2011 ‘The conundrum of sharing research data’, (unpublished paper) http://works.bepress.com/borgman/244/

“We find ourselves in a slightly perverse situation where scientists are very strongly incentivised to create peer-reviewed publications, but not to share information in other ways.”

Timo HannayNature Publishing Group, quoted in www.growingknowledge.bl.uk

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RESEARCHERS WORRY ABOUT …

• data sharing is not yet valued in the promotion or tenure process

No incentives

• for data clean up, managing requests, handling enquiries

No time

• risks of data theft, misrepresentation, lack of attribution

Loss of control

• copyright, IP, ownership, commercialisation, contracts

Legal concerns

• confidentiality agreements, fear of accidental disclosure

Ethical concerns

• inadequate infrastructure, lack of advice

Lack of mechanisms

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DO RESEARCHERS HAVE TO SHARE DATA?

Increasingly, data sharing is expected ... How, when, and what you share will depend on:

Formats – digital data is probably easier to share

Restrictions, such as confidentiality, commercialisation

Funder and publisher agreements

Customary embargo periods

Availability of repositories or other means for sharing

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BENEFITS OF DATA SHARING – TO YOU

• Makes your research better known, which may attract grants and collaborators, and citizens who want to help answer your questions (crowd-sourcing)

• Demonstrates the continuing use of your data and the relevance of your research

DATA SHARING THROUGH A REPOSITORY

• Lets you focus on research instead of having to manage the data itself, or manage requests for data

• Safeguards your investment of time and resources

• Preserves your data – for your own benefit as well as others

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BENEFITS OF DATA SHARING - TO RESEARCH

• data sharing makes new kinds of research possible

new areas of research

• greater volumes can be manageddata collection

• different data can be combineddata “mash ups”

• work across continents and disciplinesresearch collaboration

• greater scale is achievabledata analysis

• crowd-sourcing can generate, crunch and fund your data“citizen” science

• improves research efficiencysaves time

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REASONS TO OPEN DATA UP

“First, technology has made computer code and large datasets more important to science and has opened up the prospect of sharing code and data at the click of a mouse.

“Second, there is public interest in making data available to other scientists to validate findings or re-use the data in new ways to advance knowledge.

“Third, much modern science is created using public funds, which should oblige scientists to maximise the utility of their findings for the public good.

“And last …there are many competent members of the public who wish to test for themselves some of the pronouncements of scientists by analysing the data on which such pronouncements are based.”

Geoffrey Boulton et al (2011) Science as a public enterprise: the case for open data, The Lancet, 377 (9778) : 1633-1635. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60647-8

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DATA SHARING CAN BE ACHIEVED BY :

Publishing findings in

journals and at conferences

Datasets as supplements to

journal publications

Linking to datasets from

journal publications

Assigning DOIs to datasets

Depositing data in a public repository

or archive

Sharing data informally with

colleagues or on request

Posting datasets on public Web

sites

Offering data with different levels of access, e.g. de-identified data

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“Science is driven by data … society now relies on scientific data of diverse kinds; for example, in responding to disease outbreaks, managing resources, responding to climate change, and improving transportation.

“It is obvious that making data widely available is an

essential element of scientific research.”

Science editorial Making Data Maximally Available, 11 February 2011, 331 (6018): 649. DOI: 10.1126/science.1203354

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… WHICH MEANS DATA HAS TO BE MANAGED

Compliance with the Code is now a prerequisite for acceptance of National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian research Council funding.

Research funding agencies, such as the US National Science Foundation, now expect data management plans to be lodged as part of funding proposals.

This may soon happen in Australia.

According to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research :2.6 “Researchers must manage research data and primary materials …”

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WHO WANTS YOUR DATA?

Just about everyone!

Submitting a proposal to the ARC ?

You must describe how you will share your research data (or explain why you cannot share data).

Publishing in a Nature journal?

“… authors are required to make materials, data and associated protocols promptly available to readers.”

The Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research states:

2. The potential value of the material for further research should also be considered, particularly where the research would be difficult or impossible to repeat.

2.5.2 Research data should be made available for use by other researchers unless this is prevented by ethical, privacy or confidentiality matters.

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So … having a data management plan is important.

A data management plan outlines how you will collect, organise, manage, store, secure, back up, preserve and share your data.

It should

describe the data so others can understand its scope

identify the person responsible for data management

list any tools or software needed to create, process or visualise the data

document compliance with relevant policies, legislation, codes of conduct and ethical guidelines

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ARE THERE UQ TEMPLATES OR CHECKLISTS YOU CAN USE?

Checklists, templates and other tools for creating plans are currently being developed.

Final documentation will be available once UQ’s research data management policy is approved.

In the meantime, check with your Research Information Service librarian who can help you

• draft a basic plan

• advise you about the training on offer

• refer you to expert advice, including our factsheets

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STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

• Research Information Service

http://www.library.uq.edu.au/ris/index.html

• Scholarly Publishing and Digitisation Service

http://www.library.uq.edu.au/about/spads.html

Please contact us – we want to help !

Reproduced or adapted from original copyright content provided under Creative Commons licence by The University of Queensland Library