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Thinking about... Sharing data

Thinking about... Sharing data

As the emphasis on openness and reproducibility continues to grow, do you have robust processes in place for sharing data?

Do you share your data, and if so, how? Is it a question of responding to other researchers or reviewers if they make a reasonable request, or should you place your data in a repository?

In the Scientific Writing and Publishing course, in The importance of sharing data video, Amye Kennall discusses why she believes it is important to use data repositories, not only to facilitate sharing, but also to effectively preserve data.

Once you've taken the decision to share your data by placing it in a repository, or putting it on a personal server on a website for example, you need to ensure that you make that data useful. You can achieve this through metadata. Varsh Khodiyar offers some advice on How to make meaningful metadata.

Data sharing is a two-way street of course. Do you know best practice for requesting data from other researchers? Our FAQ: What is best practice when requesting data from other scientists? has some guidance.

These videos can all be found in the Scientific Writing and Publishing Course, Part 1, Module 5.

What are your experiences of data sharing? Is it becoming easier to get hold of the data you need from other scientists? What repository services have you found useful? Join in the conversation on our Facebook group.

Thinking about... Sharing data