What stops researchers from sharing data?
A report from Springer Nature reveals that while there is strong support for sharing data globally, there are many common problems that researchers face which prevent them from doing so.
In a survey taken by 7,700 researchers at various stages of their career and working across different fields, the findings showed that 76% rated the importance of making their data discoverable ‘highly’. The main challenges to sharing were identified as: ‘how to organise data in presentable and useful way’, ‘copyright and licensing concerns’, and ‘not knowing which repository to use’.
The report recommends greater support and education on good data management for researchers, and faster, easier routes to sharing data by developing solutions to organise and share data.
Read the full report on figshare.
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Maps of Science
During 2018, Science-Metrix will publish a series of maps via their Twitter feed to illustrate some dynamics of the global science ecosystem.
Since China was shown to be the world’s largest producer of scientific articles, there have been various claims, comments and misconceptions - and Science-Metrix hopes that their series of maps will show a true picture of regional bibliometric data and add “nuance to our conception of the global research ecosystem.”
Among other figures - the maps will show number of papers published, growth in output, citation impact and share of papers available in open access.
The first map can be found on the Science-Metrix website, and the rest of the maps will be released throughout the year on the Science-Metrix Twitter feed.
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Just launched - the new DMPRoadmap
The Digital Curation Centre (DCC), in collaboration with the University of California Curation Center (UC3), has just launched ‘DMPRoadmap’ - a data management planning tool.
Their DMPTool and DMPonline sites are both now running from the new joint DMPRoadmap codebase, and the service includes new features such as a usage dashboard for generating statistics, the ability to request feedback on DMPs, guidance from multiple institutions and a range of different settings and preferences.
Organisational administrators can see all the plans for their institution and download metadata on these. The site will shortly undergo a second round of accessibility testing.
Find out more on the DCC website.
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The future of Data Science in libraries
A report published by the University of Pittsburgh, from the ‘Data Science in Libraries’ project, presents a synthesis of discussions, findings, and reflections from an international, two-day workshop held last May, which aimed to explore the challenges of successfully implementing data science in libraries.
The report states that recent advances in statistics and computer science combined with an abundance of data have given rise to a new ‘professional ecosystem’ called data science, which is transforming many sectors, including libraries.
It explains that librarians can lack the technical skills to be effective in a data-rich research environment (the ‘skills gap’), and that there are limited opportunities for professional development (the ‘management gap’). It concludes with a roadmap for data science in libraries that the authors hope can provide some practical guidance for library administrators, practicing librarians, or others interested in data science in libraries.
Read the full report on the University of Pittsburgh’s D-Scholarship repository.
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New activity found in approach to Open Science
The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) has updated a report from 2017 which looked at a snapshot of open data and open science policies in Europe. The new analysis goes into more depth on the types of policy in place in Europe, their processes of creation, and some of their specifics.
This updated version of the deeper analysis reflects changes that have been identified more recently and finds new activity around national approaches to open data and open science in several countries, notably the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia and Sweden.
The report finds that 11 out of 28 EU member states have national, research-data related policies in place, the majority of which are owned by - or heavily involved with - national research funders.
Read the full report on the DCC website.
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How the University of Cambridge is integrating digital notebooks
At a recent event on digital notebooks organised by TU Delft Library, Dr Agustina Martínez García, Repository Integration Manager for the University of Cambridge’s institutional repository ‘Apollo’, gave a presentation about how the University has integrated RSpace and Apollo.
She gave an overview of the systems used at Cambridge, explained how electronic lab notebooks can integrate with a repository and talked about the benefits, challenges and next steps.
You can see the full powerpoint presentation on Apollo.
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Blog: Budgeting for data management
In an article on TU Delft’s ‘OpenWorking’ blog, Mary Donaldson and Vessela Ensberg identify some of the main reasons that data management costs are not included in grant proposal budgets - from a lack of awareness among researchers to a lack of support at research institutions.
They explore possible solutions and examples such as training for research support staff, the possibility of a check-box on grant review systems and having a pool of data managers. However, they feel that “tackling funders to better support the process would be more effective than each institution developing their own solutions.”
Read the full blog on OpenWorking.
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Blog: Springer Nature Research Data Service VS Electronic Lab Notebooks
In a series of blog posts, Rory Macneil, CEO and Co-founder of RSpace, gives his view on the new research data support tool from Springer Nature, how it compares to electronic lab notebooks and the role of ELNs as data curation tools.
Rory predicts the cost of publication could potentially be in the thousands of dollars using the new service, and he describes the reaction from data curators, and the feelings of concern about researchers and universities losing control of research data.
He talks about electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) as an alternative, and asks why they’re not being used by more researchers across more subjects.
Read the first blog post on RSpace.
In a second follow-up post Rory discusses how both ELNs and data repositories need to be designed to optimize the benefits of using ELNs as a replacement for manual data curation.
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General Data Protection Regulation
The General Data Protection Regulation will come into force on 25 May 2018. It aims to give more control over personal data and simplify the regulations for organisations and businesses processing data of EU residents.
To this effect, we have updated our privacy notices which can be found at the bottom of the newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please let us know by unsubscribing below.
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The diversifying nature of impact – publishing tips from ‘Nature Biomedical Engineering’
Wednesday 18 April, 10:30 - 12:30, 8 Mill Lane, Lecture Room 1
Do you need help with publishing? At this talk, aimed at final year PhD students and early career researchers, Pep Pàmies, the Chief Editor of Nature Biomedical Engineering, will provide tips on how to convey your research for broader impact, and discuss the jobs that selective scientific journals need to increasingly take on.
Refreshments will be provided. Please arrive promptly for a 10:30am start.
To book a place, please sign up on UTBS.
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Towards cultural change in data management - data stewardship in practice
Thursday 24 May, 9:30 - 6:00, TU Delft
TU Delft is hosting a one-day event that will focus on three main topics:
• How to achieve cultural change in research data management?
• Why is good data stewardship important?
• Why do we care and why should researchers care?
The event will feature discussions, presentations and interactive workshops. The two keynote speakers are Dr Danny Kingsley (Deputy Director, Scholarly Communication and Research Services at Cambridge University Library) and Kim Huijpen from the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU).
Register and read more on Eventbrite.
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JOB: Faculty Research Support Officer (fixed-term), University of Nottingham
Applications are invited to the above role to provide comprehensive, high quality, professional support on research strategy and development, with a focus on Research Excellence Framework preparations, and other research initiatives in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The role will require liaison with key stakeholders in Schools and Professional Service Departments at the University of Nottingham. The postholder will support the newly implemented research governance structures within the Faculty.
The deadline for applications is 9 April. Visit the University’s jobs page for more information.
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Fully-funded PhD studentships in Scientometrics and TDM, Knowledge Media Institute, Milton Keynes
The Knowledge Media Institute (KMi) is a leading research centre associated with the Open University, that focuses on web and data science, natural language processing, information retrieval, machine learning and their applications to solve real-world problems.
They are currently offering fully-funded PhD studentships in the area of Text and Data Mining of scientific literature.
The application deadline is 12 April. Please get in contact with Petr Knoth for more information before making an official application, and visit the KMi website for details of the studentships.
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JOB: Researcher Development Coordinator, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Oxfordshire
The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology is looking for a Researcher Development Coordinator to be based within the Learning & Development Team. This position may suit a recent PhD graduate who is interested in making a significant contribution in a busy, friendly team environment.
Key duties include supporting the relationship between early career researchers and their supervisors, managing the Early Career Researcher Training Programme and developing policies and procedures.
The closing date is 12 April. To apply visit the CEH website.
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JOB: Research Support Librarian, Part-time (18.5 hours), The Open University
The Open University (OU) are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual with excellent communication skills to join their Research Support team. The post-holder will provide advice, guidance and support on developments in scholarly communication, research data management and the use of research support tools to maximize the impact and visibility of all research activity within the University.
This is a part-time role working 18.5 hours per week (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) on a temporary contract for 12 months.
The post will be based at Milton Keynes and the closing date is 12 noon 13 April. Visit the OU website to find out more and download an application form.
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JOB: Research Impact Officers, The University of Edinburgh
The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine is seeking to appoint two Research Impact Officers (open ended posts). The ability to produce high quality, engaging research impact case studies and other scientific writing is central to both posts.
The post holders will be responsible for driving the development of research impact case studies, working closely with academic staff within the College and administrative staff within the College Office. They will provide expertise in the development, articulation, and evidencing of research impact and manage a pipeline of impact case studies for REF2021 and beyond.
For more information and to apply, by 13 April, visit the University of Edinburgh jobs page.
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