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Implementing FAIR

EarthCube FAIR How-to Series: 

Improving the ‘FAIRness’ of eNotebooks

Image by Harmen Jelle van Mourik

Improving the ‘FAIRness’ of eNotebooks

EarthCube FAIR How-to Series: 

Data Identifiers:  Anchoring your data in times of change

Image by Jeremy Bishop

What is a key challenge to conducting research in the current data ecosystem?

  • Constant flux in requirements from:

    • Funders

    • Publishers

    • Repositories

    • Sponsoring organizations

Image by Tomoe Steineck

How can you more easily meet the challenges of changing requirements with one [fairly] straightforward strategy?

The strategy:  Assigning IDs to your data

Here you will learn:

  • How data IDs can help you reduce your research workflow

  • How data IDs can improve the broader research ecosystem

  • Questions to ask to figure out which ID type to use for your data

Tools you will find:

  • An ID Assignment Checklist for your dataset

  • Examples of different types of datasets & scenarios where the Checklist is used to navigate the acquisition of IDs for your data

What if…

You are ready to publish your findings and need to associate your static dataset (or subsets) with your paper… 

 

- What do you need to do?  

- How do you do it?​​

Dataset Type Example 1:

  • Static dataset (no longer being updated, but still associated with published research results)

  • e.g., CSV file, table or figure representing a view of or from the dataset 

Image by Ganapathy Kumar
Image by Rohit Tandon

What if…

A colleague on a collaborative research project wants to publish findings from the project and needs an ID to associate a snapshot of the continually updated dataset... 

 

- What do you need to do?  

- How do you do it?

Dataset Type Example 2:

  • “Dynamic” dataset (actively updated, but available for citing in order to facilitate analysis -- the results of which may then be published), 

  • e.g., time series data

What if…

You’re involved in a cross- disciplinary environmental research project for which you want to integrate data from multi-modal analyses derived from a physical sample... 

 

- What do you need to do?  

- How do you do it?​​

Dataset Type Example 3:

  • Field collection dataset (used as the basis for subsequent and comparative analyses)

  • e.g., Physical soil samples from which physical, chemical & biological measures will be derived

Image by Andrzej Kryszpiniuk

To get started…we’d like to help

We’ve prepared a detailed  ID Assignment Checklist that you can use to gather information about yourself, your research project and your data that you will need to choose and acquire a data identifier

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Image by Cassie Matias

In Summary:  One strategy to help you anchor your research data & workflow in times of change

We’ve discussed:

  • How assigning data IDs can help you reduce your research workflow

  • How data IDs can improve the broader research ecosystem

  • Questions to ask to figure out which ID type to use for your data

You’ve seen:

  • Examples of different dataset types & how an ID Assignment Checklist can be used to get or assign IDs to your dataset

Stay tuned for more on FAIR!

 

For questions or topic suggestions, please contact the EarthCube Office at:

 

ec-info@earthcube.org

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