Main Library Open Research Data
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- Definition
- Benefits of Sharing Research Data
- FAIR principles
- Data Management Plan
- Research Data Repositories
- Additional materials
- Most important definitions
Definition
Research data is all data generated during a research project aimed at obtaining original scientific results. Research data (depending on the discipline they concern) can be very diverse, for example: text documents, numerical data, surveys, questionnaires, mathematical models, audio and video recordings, photos, algorithms, results of computer simulations, laboratory protocols, methodological descriptions, etc.
They are most often made available in the form of so-called Datasets, i.e. collections constituting a separate whole and containing data related to a single publication, scientific project or experiment.
Open research data is data that is available via the internet and disseminated without any restrictions. This means that it can be used without any fees or significant technical or legal restrictions. Data should be as open as possible and as closed as necessary.
Opening data allows for verification of results and their reuse. It should be remembered that sharing research data is not the same as publishing the work in which the results of the research/experiment are described.
Not all data sets can be open, especially personal data, commercialization of research results, and national security.
Information about the existence of data should always be publicly available, which helps avoid duplication of research.
Benefits of Sharing Research Data
Sharing research data provides scientists with a number of benefits:
- better communication and exchange of information between specialists representing different scientific disciplines,
- the ability to perform analyses based on unique data that cannot be collected again,
- increasing the number of citations of both the data themselves and publications based on them,
- increasing the credibility and transparency of the scientist,
- the ability to assess the reliability of the research conducted,
- the ability to use existing resources and reduce research costs,
- assistance in the parametric assessment of the unit, reporting and achievements of scientists,
- document security (each work deposited in the repository has its own unique identifier) and the possibility of long-term storage of works.
FAIR principles
In order to properly process and share data, guidelines (so-called FAIR principles) have been developed, according to which research data should be:
- Findable – easy to search and find
- Accessible – e.g. deposited in a data repository,
- Interoperable – described in an appropriate standard and using the correct methodology,
- Reusable – made available for multiple use under an appropriate license.
FAIR principles were created to make research data accessible to both users and computer software that searches databases without human intervention.
A FAIR-prepared dataset can be validated using the F-UJI tool, which is used to programmatically evaluate the FAIR of research data objects at the dataset level based on FAIRsFAIR data object evaluation metrics.
Sharing research data involves using an appropriate license. We distinguish the following research data licenses:
A FAIR-prepared dataset can be validated using the F-UJI tool, which is used to programmatically evaluate the FAIR of research data objects at the dataset level based on FAIRsFAIR data object evaluation metrics.
Sharing research data involves using an appropriate license. We distinguish the following research data licenses:
- CC 0 – transfer to public domain,
- CC-BY – Attribution 4.0 (this license allows copying, changing, distributing, presenting and performing the work only if the author is credited, it guarantees the widest freedoms to the licensee).
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More about FAIR Data:
More about FAIR Data:
Data Management Plan
Data Management Plan (DMP) – a formal document describing activities throughout the life cycle of data: their organization and safe storage, defining access and protection rules, sharing and possible deletion, both during the project and after its completion. Planning for proper and responsible management of research data is mandatory for all projects in which research data is collected or reused.
The plan can be prepared based on the available template. It should take into account the FAIR principles and refer to the following elements:
The plan can be prepared based on the available template. It should take into account the FAIR principles and refer to the following elements:
- description of research data,
- standards and metadata,
- permanent identifiers,
- data organization and storage,
- data sharing,
- management of other research results,
- costs and the team involved in data management.
In 2019, the National Science Centre (NCN) introduced the obligation to attach a shortened research data management plan to the application for funding for research projects, which will be supplemented in the final report and assessed by the NCN after the project is completed.
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Recommended websites:
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Recommended websites:
- DMPTool – an online tool for creating data management plans with examples (adapted to the requirements of US funders)
- DMPonline – a research data management plan creator with a database of UK science funding institutions
- Data Citation Index – a tool that enables tracking and evaluation of citations of scientific data, supports the development of open resources and transparency of research data. It is part of the Web of Science database
- Google Dataset Search – indexes data stored in repositories, on websites of scientific institutions and organizations
- Checklist for a Data Management Plan – a checklist to help you check the correctness of the prepared DMP
- Horizon Europe – Programme Guide
- Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA) – EU Funding Programmes 2021-2027
Research Data Repositories
A repository is a place for the organized storage of documents (e.g. electronic servers), all of which are intended to be shared. Repositories are divided into:
- institutional (they accept research data from employees or grantees of a given institution),
- general purpose (accepting research data from everyone and from every field of science,
- domain-specific (they accept research data from a given field of science).
Research data repositories:
- RepOD – Open Data repository developed by ICM UW. As part of the Open Science Platform, it archives and provides access to all data generated, collected and developed for the needs of scientific research. Intended for so-called small data.
- Zenodo – an international repository of research data. It enables scientists from all fields of knowledge to easily archive and share their research data. Designed for so-called small data. Developed thanks to the OpenAIRE and CERN initiative.
- NIH Research Data Repositories – The US National Institutes of Health co-creates and promotes many specialized research data repositories, many of which provide access to so-called big data collected as part of specific projects. The NIH website contains a table describing each repository, providing information about their degree of openness and the procedures for placing data in them.
- Bridge of Data – a project within which an institutional repository of open research data was created at the Gdańsk University of Technology, which will serve not only the Gdańsk University of Technology, but also the consortium members: the University of Gdańsk and the Medical University of Gdańsk. It is possible to extend access to the platform to other universities in the region and the country.
- Mendeley Data – an indexed repository of research data. It allows you to store, share, and manage data related to scientific research. Within the repository, researchers can publish their data and share it with other scientists.
Search engines to help you choose the right repository:
- re3data.org (Registry of Research Data Repositories) – is a global search engine for research data repositories. It collects research data from all academic disciplines. It allows you to search for repositories by field of knowledge, country and type of research data.
- OpenDOAR – an international database indexing digital libraries, institutional repositories and research data repositories. The database allows searching the repositories themselves as well as searching their resources.
- Repository Finder Tool – a search engine created as part of the AGU’s Enabling FAIR Data Project. Developed by the DataCite and re3data.org teams,
- CoreTrust Seal – the site contains information about the certification of data repositories that meet the highest standards for storing, managing, and sharing data. The site contains a list of repositories that have received the CoreTrustSeal certificate.
Additional materials
- Practical Guide to the International Alignment of Research Data Management (Science Europe) – a guide recommended by the National Science Centre
- Data Management Expert Guide (CESSDA – Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives)
European Commission Guides:
Online courses:
- Coursera – Managing and Sharing Research Data – a free MOOC led by faculty at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Edinburgh
Metadata models:
- Research Data Alliance (RDA) Metadata Standards Catalog
- FAIRsharing – a standards and metadata search engine linked to domain repositories
- Digital Curation Centre Standards – a list of widely used metadata standards
Most important definitions
Creative Commons Licenses – popular license patterns developed by the Creative Commons organization.
Data journal – a scientific journal that publishes articles describing research data sets, made available in data repositories or (rarely) as a supplement to the article itself. These publications are peer-reviewed and counted as scientific achievements.
Data management plan (DMP) – a formal document describing what will happen to the data during and after the research project. It is a “living document” that can and should change as changes occur in other areas of the research project.
Dataset – a collection of data that is organized in a way that allows for analysis and processing. It may contain a variety of information, such as numbers, text, images, or sounds, organized in the form of tables, files, or databases.
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) – a digital identifier permanently assigned to an electronic document, allowing it to be found on the Internet regardless of the URL leading to it.
Embargo – a period during which research data cannot be made publicly available. It is usually used to obtain patents and/or other intellectual property rights related to them and to prepare scientific publications based on them. After this period, publication of the research data becomes possible.
FAIR – an acronym for “findable”, “accessible”, “interoperable” and “reusable”, defining the requirements that shared research data should meet.
Interoperability – The characteristic of data that can be combined with other data, used across many different computer systems, and analyzed using a variety of software.
License – authorization to use a work or database in a specific way. The subject of the license may be, for example, a set of research data.
Metadata – data about data. A set of information about a specific set of research data. They contain information about the form and content of resources, which allows them to be searched, identified and managed. There are general, universal (e.g. Dublin Core, Date Cite, DAta Documentation Initiative) and domain-specific metadata standards.
NCN – National Science Centre.
ORCID (Open Research and Contributor ID) – a digital identifier used to uniquely identify authors of scientific publications.
Repository – an IT system enabling the storage of scientific publications or research data in order to make them available to a larger group of recipients.
Data journal – a scientific journal that publishes articles describing research data sets, made available in data repositories or (rarely) as a supplement to the article itself. These publications are peer-reviewed and counted as scientific achievements.
Data management plan (DMP) – a formal document describing what will happen to the data during and after the research project. It is a “living document” that can and should change as changes occur in other areas of the research project.
Dataset – a collection of data that is organized in a way that allows for analysis and processing. It may contain a variety of information, such as numbers, text, images, or sounds, organized in the form of tables, files, or databases.
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) – a digital identifier permanently assigned to an electronic document, allowing it to be found on the Internet regardless of the URL leading to it.
Embargo – a period during which research data cannot be made publicly available. It is usually used to obtain patents and/or other intellectual property rights related to them and to prepare scientific publications based on them. After this period, publication of the research data becomes possible.
FAIR – an acronym for “findable”, “accessible”, “interoperable” and “reusable”, defining the requirements that shared research data should meet.
Interoperability – The characteristic of data that can be combined with other data, used across many different computer systems, and analyzed using a variety of software.
License – authorization to use a work or database in a specific way. The subject of the license may be, for example, a set of research data.
Metadata – data about data. A set of information about a specific set of research data. They contain information about the form and content of resources, which allows them to be searched, identified and managed. There are general, universal (e.g. Dublin Core, Date Cite, DAta Documentation Initiative) and domain-specific metadata standards.
NCN – National Science Centre.
ORCID (Open Research and Contributor ID) – a digital identifier used to uniquely identify authors of scientific publications.
Repository – an IT system enabling the storage of scientific publications or research data in order to make them available to a larger group of recipients.