A big picture view for researchers on data repositories and data journals from Andrew Hufton at Publishing Better Science through Better Data.

{credit}Image credit: Scientific Data{/credit}

More and more, funding bodies are requiring scientists to make their data open-access and available to the research community and others. So, why not wrap a publication around it at the same time, build your CV and get credit for all the hard work you’ve done?

Andrew Hufton, Managing Editor of Scientific Data, gave a great talk on the big picture view of publishing your data. I’ve reproduced some of it below for your reading pleasure along with further advice from Hufton. Have a read and tell us what you think – do you agree with the list? Do any ring particularly true for you? Are there any others you would add? Share your views in the comments section below.

Before even thinking about finding a repository to store your data, you need to make sure that your data is fit for storing. Hufton suggests a three-point checklist where you should:

–          Make sure that your data is well structured

–          Have lots of metadata to aid others’ understanding of your data

–          If dealing with human data, have the appropriate consent forms organised

When you’ve prepared your data, it’s time to think about finding a repository for it. Continue reading →