Understanding data search as a socio-technical practice

TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding data search as a socio-technical practice

AU - Gregory, Kathleen M.

AU - Cousijn, Helena

AU - Groth, Paul

AU - Scharnhorst, Andrea

AU - Wyatt, Sally

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Open research data are heralded as having the potential to increase effectiveness, productivity, and reproducibility in science, but little is known about the actual practices involved in data search. The socio-technical problem of locating data for reuse is often reduced to the technological dimension of designing data search systems. We combine a bibliometric study of the current academic discourse around data search with interviews with data seekers. In this article, we explore how adopting a contextual, socio-technical perspective can help to understand user practices and behavior and ultimately help to improve the design of data discovery systems.

AB - Open research data are heralded as having the potential to increase effectiveness, productivity, and reproducibility in science, but little is known about the actual practices involved in data search. The socio-technical problem of locating data for reuse is often reduced to the technological dimension of designing data search systems. We combine a bibliometric study of the current academic discourse around data search with interviews with data seekers. In this article, we explore how adopting a contextual, socio-technical perspective can help to understand user practices and behavior and ultimately help to improve the design of data discovery systems.

KW - Data retrieval

KW - data reuse

KW - data search

KW - information seeking

KW - research data

UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/understanding-data-search-sociotechnical-practice

U2 - 10.1177/0165551519837182

DO - 10.1177/0165551519837182

M3 - Article

SN - 0165-5515

JO - Journal of Information Science

JF - Journal of Information Science

ER -