Enabling scientific data sharing and re-use

Abstract

Research data sharing is one of the key challenges in the e-science era. IT technologies facilitate an enhanced management and sharing of research data. It is crucial to understand the current status of research data sharing in order to facilitate enhanced data sharing in the future. In this study, a conceptual model has been developed to characterize the process of data sharing and the factors which give rise to variations in data re-use. The study goes beyond a solely technical analysis and includes also psychological, social, organizational, legal and political components. The model was developed based on the literature and 21 face to face interviews with research, funding, data centre and publishing experts. It was validated by both a vigorous workshop and a further 55 structured telephone interviews. The overall model identifies sub-models of process, of context, and of drivers, barriers and enablers. These provide a comprehensive description of the factors that enable or inhibit the sharing of research data. They affect whether data are shared, how they are shared, and how successfully they are shared. Implementing the enablers will help the research community overcome the barriers to data re-use to facilitate future e-science endeavors.