Make data flow: Understanding the (re)usability of research data

Abstract

Opening data and making datasets reusable is an extremely important and urgent need, especially as we move towards more data-driven studies worldwide. Various stakeholders are involved in the life cycle of data (re)use, including data providers/sharers, data (re)users, data managers/curators, and funding agencies. In response to the divergent demands of these stakeholders, data repositories have been established to bridge their needs and facilitate the cycle of data sharing and (re)use. However, recent studies have shown that data is being shared and (re)used through open data repositories at much lower levels than expected. This underscores a fundamental and often overlooked challenge in research data management, inviting a deeper and more comparative examination of the perspectives of various stakeholders on data (re)use. Using a mixed-method approach that includes metadata analysis, interview-based qualitative studies, and quantitative bibliometric analysis, this project first delves into the facilitating and inhibiting factors affecting a dataset's potential for (re)use, considering the perspectives of both data (re)users and data curators. It will then identify and elucidate the disparities between data (re)users and data curators, proposing suggestions for future data curation efforts. The findings will prompt data curators and data repositories to re-examine their current metadata frameworks and data curation practices, aligning them more closely with the actual needs of data (re)users. Moreover, this effort will make the flow of research data moves more smoothly within our academic communities, and contribute to the building of a more inclusive, equitable, open, and user-friendly research infrastructure.