The constraints are as significant as the opportunities when it comes to publishing, locating and accessing research data, according to a new report from the Research Information Network (RIN). Potentially useful research data are at risk of inaccessibility in the long-term, and there is no consistent approach to assessing and assuring the scholarly content or usability of the datasets being published today. Realising the full potential of data requires further progress in data management policies and practice.

To share or not to share: new report published on research data

Research 3.0 campaign

The constraints are as significant as the opportunities when it comes to publishing, locating and accessing research data, according to a new report from the Research Information Network (RIN). Potentially useful research data are at risk of inaccessibility in the long-term, and there is no consistent approach to assessing and assuring the scholarly content or usability of the datasets being published today. Realising the full potential of data requires further progress in data management policies and practice.

Based on more than 100 detailed interviews with researchers across eight subject areas, To Share or Not to Share: Publication and Quality Assurance of Research Data Outputs reports the findings of a study commissioned by RIN in association with JISC and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and carried out by Key Perspectives Ltd.

There is now widespread recognition that research data are a valuable long-term resource, but until now we have lacked a clear picture of how researchers are responding to the new opportunities and challenges. Are they making their data available and accessible to others, and what are the issues they are encountering when and if they do so?

Report recommendations
Policymakers need to take full account of the different kinds of research data researchers produce, the different values they have, and the different needs of researchers and other potential users.
There is a need for co-operation between researchers, funders and institutions to ensure that sustainable arrangements are in place to preserve valuable data and to make them accessible.
Research funders and institutions should actively promote data publishing and re-use, with measures including career-related rewards to researchers who publish high-quality data, case studies on the benefits of doing so, support for researchers in developing sound data management plans, and strategies to address current skills gaps.
There is scope for publishers to promote ease of access and use of relevant data sets, and a need to clarify the current confusion over policies on access for text-mining tools. The takeup of Web 2.0 applications should be monitored and its implications considered.
There is a need for further work on acceptable approaches to the formal assessment of datasets across the disciplinary spectrum.

For further information on the Research Information Network 

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