Abstract
Data sharing has become a default requirement made by an
increasing number of research funding and research performing
organizations. Data should be findable, accessible, interoperable
and reusable, in an as open as possible way, is the adagio of today.
The idea is that the research system will be more efficient if
data sharing will be part of the dominant research culture. This
should lead both to a greater transparency of research, because
FAIR data can be checked and will contribute to replicability of
research. And for researchers it will make it possible to stand on
the shoulders of predecessors, opening possibilities for comparative
research or answering new questions on the basis of
existing data.
This is the theory. But in how far does the above serve the
needs of the users? In how far is data that is offered for sharing
actually being reused? And in how far do “old” data contribute
to new knowledge creation? Actually, not very much is known
about the reuse of data, and even less about how this reuse
leads to new scientific insights. Although recommendations for
citing data abound, it even appears to be very hard to trace back
reused data in the literature.
The core of this paper is on the use of a national data service,
taking the EASY repository of Data Archiving and Networked
Services (DANS) in the Netherlands as a case study, and presenting
a quantitative overview for the period 2007-2019.
increasing number of research funding and research performing
organizations. Data should be findable, accessible, interoperable
and reusable, in an as open as possible way, is the adagio of today.
The idea is that the research system will be more efficient if
data sharing will be part of the dominant research culture. This
should lead both to a greater transparency of research, because
FAIR data can be checked and will contribute to replicability of
research. And for researchers it will make it possible to stand on
the shoulders of predecessors, opening possibilities for comparative
research or answering new questions on the basis of
existing data.
This is the theory. But in how far does the above serve the
needs of the users? In how far is data that is offered for sharing
actually being reused? And in how far do “old” data contribute
to new knowledge creation? Actually, not very much is known
about the reuse of data, and even less about how this reuse
leads to new scientific insights. Although recommendations for
citing data abound, it even appears to be very hard to trace back
reused data in the literature.
The core of this paper is on the use of a national data service,
taking the EASY repository of Data Archiving and Networked
Services (DANS) in the Netherlands as a case study, and presenting
a quantitative overview for the period 2007-2019.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 44-50 |
| Journal | Der Archivar |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue number | 01 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2020 |