Written by Kellie Snow, Research Data Librarian<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why \u2018open data\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The concept of \u2018open data\u2019 has attracted increased attention\nin recent years as part of the wider open research movement. Many funders and\npublishers now have policies around data sharing, meaning often researchers must\ncomply in order to receive grant funding and publish papers. Yet an emphasis on\ncompliance often muddies the original meaning of open data, and in some cases creates\na reactive, rather than proactive culture towards making data widely available.\nSo why should research data be made open, apart from to satisfy these\nrequirements?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firstly, there is the more immediate argument that research\ndata is the evidence for claims made in articles. Therefore, if researchers are\ngoing to be open and accountable for the work they do (especially if they are\npublicly funded), that evidence should also be available so it can be\nscrutinised in the same way as the article itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is a second broader, perhaps more aspirational reason; making research data open means a worldwide audience, beyond the researcher\u2019s own group, institution and potentially even discipline, can also see the data and make use of it. It has the potential to increase citations, foster collaborations, and enable unforeseen applications of research data. The notion of reuse and waste reduction isn\u2019t confined to environmental issues – openly sharing and reusing data also reduces needless duplication of research and in turn saves effort and money. As a global community we can instead drive knowledge forward and move ever closer to answering those research questions so key to our societies and our planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making data FAIR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s all very admirable in theory, but what are the\npracticalities of making data open? How do we know that others will understand\nit correctly, or that they will use it in an appropriate manner? The FAIR data\nprinciples[1]<\/a>,\npublished in 2016, go some way to addressing these concerns by promoting\nresearch data that is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Or, to\nexplain more fully, data that is made available to others should be: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This set of guiding principles is extremely valuable in pushing an agenda for data that is not only openly available with clear usage guidelines, but actually understandable to others. If data becomes FAIR then it will in turn be available for all as anyone anywhere can potentially access, understand and use the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consent is key<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When discussing open data there is always a caveat that not\nall data can be made openly available. In some instances, there are good\nreasons why data cannot be shared more widely. These include commercial\nrestrictions, protection of human participants or plant and animal species, or\nfor national security. Here is where research data deviates from the open\naccess path that academic papers can more easily follow. The phrase \u201cas open as\npossible as closed as necessary\u201d is increasingly being used to describe how\ndata restrictions should be approached. Whilst we can appreciate the instances\nwhere data sharing of any kind is not possible, there is a sliding scale\nbetween fully open and fully closed where valuable research data can still be\nmade available to some degree, if it is handled correctly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First and foremost, for any data concerning participants,\nconsent is key. Making individuals aware at the outset that their data may be\nshared and used by others means anonymised data can often be made available\nonce it has been suitably prepared. For datasets where sensitive information\ncannot be fully removed, options of restricted access, often via a data\nrepository, mean access for bona fide researchers is still possible. This might\nnot be fully \u201copen\u201d, but it is a lot more accessible to those who could\nmeaningfully do something with the data than simply discounting it as unfit for\nsharing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Open data at Cardiff University<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here at Cardiff University we are working to support\nresearchers in openly sharing data and encouraging a culture of open research\nthroughout the institution. Our Open Research Task and Finish Group are working\non a series of recommendations to embed open research activities at school and\ncollege levels, and to improve training and guidance around several areas\nincluding open data. EPSRC researchers can already publish metadata records and\nprovide access to datasets through our CRIS, and an institutional research data\nrepository is planned for next year. The data repository will allow University researchers\nto openly publish FAIR datasets whilst applying access controls for more\nsensitive data. It is hoped these developments will provide researchers with\nthe facilities and support needed to effectively share their data with the\nworld, encouraging collaboration, research integrity, and the progression of\nknowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Open data for the future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, data sharing is now expected in many circumstances, but to be truly open we need to think carefully about how and where this is done. Data stored on a USB stick and available through the creator is a world away from correctly prepared, documented, licenced datasets, deposited in an archive with cit-able persistent identifiers. If we adopt some of the principles outlined in this blog, then there is the possibility to make open data sharing a valuable exercise for everyone. Embrace the true meaning of open data and one day the world might just thank you for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1]<\/a> FAIR data principles https:\/\/www.go-fair.org\/fair-principles\/<\/a> [Accessed 14\/10\/19]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> https:\/\/rdmtoolkit.jisc.ac.uk\/plan-and-design\/fair-principles-in-research-data-management\/<\/a> [Accessed 14\/10\/19]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Written by Kellie Snow, Research Data Librarian Why \u2018open data\u2019? The concept of \u2018open data\u2019 has attracted increased attention in recent years as part of the wider open research movement. 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