scholarly journals On the Complexities of Federating Research Data Infrastructures

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-87
Author(s):  
Atif Latif ◽  
Fidan Limani ◽  
Klaus Tochtermann

Federated Research Data Infrastructures aim to provide seamless access to research data along with services to facilitate the researchers in performing their data management tasks. During our research on Open Science (OS), we have built cross-disciplinary federated infrastructures for different types of (open) digital resources: Open Data (OD), Open Educational Resources (OER), and open access documents. In each case, our approach targeted only the resource “metadata”. Based on this experience, we identified some challenges that we had to overcome again and again: lack of (i) harvesters, (ii) common metadata models and (iii) metadata mapping tools. In this paper, we report on the challenges we faced in the federated infrastructure projects we were involved with. We structure the report based on the three challenges listed above.

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 292
Author(s):  
Michael Hewera ◽  
Daniel Hänggi ◽  
Björn Gerlach ◽  
Ulf Dietrich Kahlert

Reports of non-replicable research demand new methods of research data management. Electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) are suggested as tools to improve the documentation of research data and make them universally accessible. In a self-guided approach, we introduced the open-source ELN eLabFTW into our lab group and, after using it for a while, think it is a useful tool to overcome hurdles in ELN introduction by providing a combination of properties making it suitable for small preclinical labs, like ours. We set up our instance of eLabFTW, without any further programming needed. Our efforts to embrace open data approach by introducing an ELN fits well with other institutional organized ELN initiatives in academic research.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene N. Andreassen ◽  
Erik Lieungh

In this episode, we are discussing how to teach open science to PhD students. Helene N. Andreassen, head of Library Teaching and Learning Support at the University Library of UiT the Arctic University of Norway shares her experiences with the integration of open science in a special, tailor-made course for PhD's that have just started their project. An interdisciplinary, discussion-based course, "Take Control of Your PhD Journey: From (P)reflection to Publishing" consists of a series of seminars on research data management, open access publishing and other subject matters pertaining to open science. First published online February 26, 2020.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-204
Author(s):  
Hua Nie ◽  
Pengcheng Luo ◽  
Ping Fu

Research Data Management (RDM) has become increasingly important for more and more academic institutions. Using the Peking University Open Research Data Repository (PKU-ORDR) project as an example, this paper will review a library-based university-wide open research data repository project and related RDM services implementation process including project kickoff, needs assessment, partnerships establishment, software investigation and selection, software customization, as well as data curation services and training. Through the review, some issues revealed during the stages of the implementation process are also discussed and addressed in the paper such as awareness of research data, demands from data providers and users, data policies and requirements from home institution, requirements from funding agencies and publishers, the collaboration between administrative units and libraries, and concerns from data providers and users. The significance of the study is that the paper shows an example of creating an Open Data repository and RDM services for other Chinese academic libraries planning to implement their RDM services for their home institutions. The authors of the paper have also observed since the PKU-ORDR and RDM services implemented in 2015, the Peking University Library (PKUL) has helped numerous researchers to support the entire research life cycle and enhanced Open Science (OS) practices on campus, as well as impacted the national OS movement in China through various national events and activities hosted by the PKUL.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaisa Hartikainen ◽  
Tuula Rissanen

At the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) Library, the national Open Science and Research initiative (2014–2017, Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland) triggered the planning and construction of open science related research support services. Planning of support services with themes of open access scholarly publishing, open research data and open study material began at full throttle at the UEF Library in November 2015. Information specialists were grouped into teams, which orientated to separate aspects of open science and shared their knowledge by training the whole library staff. Teamwork continued actively over the year 2016. Open science continuously brings new tasks for the Library and has already notably changed the job profiles of the library specialists.Advancing open science has been considered highly important not only at the library but also at the university level. UEF has offered resources e.g. by recruiting new information specialists and a data protection officer and internal auditor. UEF Library has a vital role in conducting open science but it is practiced in close collaboration with University Services, especially that of Development Services, General Administration and Legal Services and IT Services. Open Science team has landed the departments to share information and to discuss about open science practices at UEF. Nowadays these roadshows concerning UEF publishing and data policy, open access (OA) publishing as well as research data management and sharing are our focal operation.Work continues but the results can already be seen: In the OA ranking of research organisations in Finland (Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland), UEF has achieved level four in the five-level maturity model. Also, UEF researchers can order tailored training sessions about open research and support services from the diverse training menu offered by the Library. Updated Open UEF web pages are available for everyone and multi-channeled informing directed to UEF staff and students continues online. One concrete output from conducted open science and active campaigning about self-archiving is UEF institutional publication repository, UEF//eRepository, which was launched in February 2017. At the moment about 31% of UEF scientific publications are open access, but substantial increase is expected. The next big challenge in open research is data management and opening. UEF Library is starting to build a metadata portal for research data in order to conceive the data produced by UEF researchers and to help finding data for potential reuse.Open science will also be included in information retrieval studies of master's degree and doctoral students. To encourage students and teachers in OA publishing, during the international open access week, one student publishing master's thesis openly will be rewarded with a stipend by the Library. Department having the highest rate of OA master's theses will also be adorned with flowers.Open science is a matter of teamwork, committing and keeping up to date.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Lyon ◽  
Aaron Brenner

This paper examines the role, functions and value of the “iSchool” as an agent of change in the data informatics and data curation arena. A brief background to the iSchool movement is given followed by a brief review of the data decade, which highlights key data trends from the iSchool perspective: open data and open science, big data and disciplinary data diversity. The growing emphasis on the shortage of data talent is noted and a family of data science roles identified. The paper moves on to describe three primary functions of iSchools: education, research intelligence and professional practice, which form the foundations of a new Capability Ramp Model. The model is illustrated by mini-case studies from the School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh: the immersive (laboratory-based) component of two new Research Data Management and Research Data Infrastructures graduate courses, a new practice partnership with the University Library System centred on RDM, and the mapping of disciplinary data practice using the Community Capability Model Profile Tool. The paper closes with a look to the future and, based on the assertion that data is mission-critical for iSchools, some steps are proposed for the next data decade: moving data education programs into the mainstream core curriculum, adopting a translational data science perspective and strengthening engagement with the Research Data Alliance.


Data ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Timothy Austin ◽  
Kyriaki Bei ◽  
Theodoros Efthymiadis ◽  
Elias P. Koumoulos

Trends in the sciences are indicative of data management becoming established as a feature of the mainstream research process. In this context, the European Commission introduced an Open Research Data pilot at the start of the Horizon 2020 research programme. This initiative followed the success of the Open Access pilot implemented in the prior (FP7) research programme, which thereafter became an integral component of Horizon 2020. While the Open Access phenomenon can reasonably be argued to be one of many instances of web technologies disrupting established business models (namely publication practices and workflows established over several centuries in the case of Open Access), initiatives designed to promote research data management have no established foundation on which to build. For Open Data to become a reality and, more importantly, to contribute to the scientific process, data management best practices and workflows are required. Furthermore, with the scientific community having operated to good effect in the absence of data management, there is a need to demonstrate the merits of data management. This circumstance is complicated by the lack of the necessary ICT infrastructures, especially interoperability standards, required to facilitate the seamless transfer, aggregation and analysis of research data. Any activity aiming to promote Open Data thus needs to overcome a number of cultural and technological challenges. It is in this context that this paper examines the data management activities and outcomes of a number of projects participating in the Horizon 2020 Open Research Data pilot. The result has been to identify a number of commonly encountered benefits and issues; to assess the utilisation of data management plans; and through the close examination of specific cases, to gain insights into obstacles to data management and potential solutions. Although primarily anecdotal and difficult to quantify, the experiences reported in this paper tend to favour developing data management best practices rather than doggedly pursue the Open Data mantra. While Open Data may prove valuable in certain circumstances, there is good reason to claim that managed access to scientific data of high inherent intellectual and financial value will prove more effective in driving knowledge discovery and innovation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (1A (113A)) ◽  
pp. 46-55
Author(s):  
Zuzanna Wiorogórska

Purpose/Thesis: This paper attempts to present the trends in management and opening of research data in Poland and the European Union, based on the analysis of the recently published Polish and European acts and documents as well as of other international initiatives which might influence scholarly publishing and scholarly communication.Approach/Methods: An in-depth review of the latest documents was applied. Results and conclusions: I focused on highlighting the key elements of the reviewed documents and initiatives, highlighting the directions for managing and opening of research data they set and the implications they might have for Polish and European science. I also sketched the possible inconsisten­cies between the European and Polish policies related to research data and scholarly communication.Research limitations: The documents investigated for the purpose of this paper were either Polish or provided by the European Union (EU). I have not analyzed the national documents issued by the individual member states of the EU other than Poland. Hence, it is probable that some solutions on research data management and opening already taken on the level of individual member states have not been included in this paper.Practical implications: This paper may encourage a reflection on the relationship between the regulations issued at the European (EU) or at the national (in this case, Polish), and the practices and requirements of scholarly communication which often contradict those regulations.Originality/Value: This is the first analysis of the latest Polish and European documents and initiatives as related to data management and open data (open science).


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 383-399
Author(s):  
Elisha R.T. Chiware

PurposeThe paper presents a literature review on research data management services in African academic and research libraries on the backdrop of the advancing open science and open research data infrastructures. It provides areas of focus for library to support open research data.Design/methodology/approachThe literature analysis and future role of African libraries in research data management services were based on three areas as follows:open science, research infrastructures and open data infrastructures. Focussed literature searches were conducted across several electronic databases and discovery platforms, and a qualitative content analysis approach was used to explore the themes based on a coded list.FindingsThe review reports of an environment where open science in Africa is still at developmental stages. Research infrastructures face funding and technical challenges. Data management services are in formative stages with progress reported in a few countries where open science and research data management policies have emerged, cyber and data infrastructures are being developed and limited data librarianship courses are being taught.Originality/valueThe role of the academic and research libraries in Africa remains important in higher education and the national systems of research and innovation. Libraries should continue to align with institutional and national trends in response to the provision of data management services and as partners in the development of research infrastructures.


2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (2-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Buschmann ◽  
Stefan Kasberger ◽  
Peter Kraker ◽  
Katja Mayer ◽  
Falk Reckling ◽  
...  

Insbesondere in den letzten zwei Jahren hat Österreich im Bereich Open Science, vor allem was Open Access und Open Data betrifft, nennenswerte Fortschritte gemacht. Die Gründung des Open Access Networks Austria (OANA) und das Anfang 2014 gestartete Projekt e-Infrastructures Austria können als wichtige Grundsteine für den Ausbau einer österreichischen Open-Science-Landschaft gesehen werden. Auch das österreichische Kapitel der Open Knowledge Foundation leistet in den Bereichen Open Science Praxis- und Bewusstseinsbildung grundlegende Arbeit. Unter anderem bilden diese Initiativen die Grundlage für den Aufbau einer nationalen Open-Access-Strategie sowie einer ganz Österreich abdeckenden Infrastruktur für Open Access und Open (Research) Data. Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über diese und ähnliche nationale sowie lokale Open-Science-Projekte und -Initiativen und einen Ausblick in die mögliche Zukunft von Open Science in Österreich.


Author(s):  
Ieva Cesevičiūtė ◽  
Gintarė Tautkevičienė

Kaunas University of Technology is one of the largest technical universities in the Baltic region. The university staff has been involved in different Open Access- and Open Science-related activities for more than a decade. Different initiatives have been implemented: stand-alone and series of training and awareness-raising events, promotion of Open Access and Open Science ideas so that institutions develop their Open Access policies and make their repositories compliant with larger research infrastructures. Within the institution, the initiatives of Open Science are implemented as a result of joint effort of the library, the departments of research, studies, and doctoral school. The current tasks involve revising the institutional Open Access guidelines and facilitating the implementation of data management plans in doctoral studies. In this chapter, the aim is to provide an overview of the efforts highlighting the successes and failures on the way to best practice in research data management support both institutionally and on the national level.


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