Source: https://guides.lib.monash.edu/research-metrics-publishing/open-data
Research metrics and publishing: Open data
Open data
“Open data and content can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose”
Have you got a research data management plan?
"Data management planning from the beginning of a research project helps to outline how data will be collected, formatted, described, stored and shared throughout, and beyond, the project lifecycle." (Australian Research Council). See links below for Data Management Plan templates and tools:
Monash data repository
Monash Bridges:
- is a collaborative research data repository for Monash University researchers and graduate research students
- ensures users retain full control over their research outputs while publishing with a DOI making them easily citable
- stores data on Monash servers providing a platform to share research outputs research datasets, media, papers, posters and presentations
Other repositories
Quality academic journals have their own data policies (e.g. the PLOS data policy). Multidisciplinary repositories may be designed to publish the underlying data from scholarly publications in a F.A.I.R manner.
Other data respositories may have a more discipline specific focus:
- Archeology - Open Context from the Alexandria Archive Institute
- Astronomy -Astrophysics Data System from the SAO (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)
- Computer Science - SourceForge, an open source directory
- DataONE
- GenBank
- Geosciences and geospatial data - Geodata Repository from the Open Source Geospatial Foundation
- IEEE DataPort (electrical and electronic engineering)
- KNB (Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity)
- PANGAEA (Publishing Network for Geoscientific & Environmental Data)
- Physics - Blue Obelisk Data Repository
- Scientific Data (Nature’s data journal)
- Social sciences - ADA (Australian Data Archive)
- TERN (terrestrial ecosystem data)
Source code:
To find a discipline-specific research data repository, search the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR) and the Registry of Research Data Repositories.
Sharing sensitive data
For guidance on sharing sensitive data see:
- The Australian National Data Service guidance
- The Australian Research Data Commons resources
Data journals
Data journals publish brief articles which describe a data set(s). They are often open access and peer reviewed, and the articles can be cited.
Examples include:
- Scientific data
Open-access, peer-reviewed publication for descriptions of scientifically valuable datasets. Primary article-type is the Data Descriptor, designed to make data more discoverable, interpretable and reusable. - Geoscience data journal
Publishes short data papers cross-linked to, and citing, datasets that have been deposited in approved data centres. - Journal of open archaeology data
Peer reviewed data papers, describing archaeology datasets with high reuse potential. - GigaScience
Open-access open-data journal. Publishes 'big-data' studies from life and biomedical sciences.
A number of data journals also support 'altmetrics' that track the number of article views, number of downloads, and social media 'likes' and recommendations. These can be early indicators of the impact of data, before the long tail of formal citation metrics can be assessed.
How to cite open data
A number of useful guides are available for citing open data. See:
- DataCite: Cite your data
- Ball, A. and Duke, M. (2015) How to cite datasets and link to publications. DCC How-to Guides. Edinburgh: Digital Curation Centre.
- Australian National Data Service: Data Citation
Standards for data citation vary across the disciplines.
See the Monash Citing & Referencing Libguide for examples of citing data using different styles
The state of open data
The advantages of data citation and the impact of open data continue to evolve. Some readings below:
Help
Open Research & Scholarship team
+61 3 9905 9917
researchdata@monash.edu
Monash University Copyright
+61 3 9905 5732
university.copyright@monash.edu
