NFDI4Earth survey: Colleagues as role models and better infrastructure
What are incentives for FAIR and open data practices? This was the topic of the latest NFDI4Earth survey in the German Earth System Science Community. Whether you, or your researchers, work in the Earth System Sciences or not, I think the newly published analyses of the survey is worth having a look. In this short News Digest, I only want to focus on two aspects of the survey. The first one is that researchers are motivated by their colleagues, which is nothing new but a good reminder to look out for researchers in your community that are already employing the FAIR principles in some way and promote their work.
The second result of the survey I want to mention is that researchers say they do not see awards for FAIR and open data practices as strong motivators, which leads to the conclusion to be careful with designing awards and to not overrate the usefulness. I am probably a little bit biased here, since I am involved in one of these awards. I think these awards are helping with highlighting the researchers in a field that are taking the steps in the right direction. So the award itself might not motivate somebody to employ FAIR and open data practices, just to win the award. But it still highlights the researchers (and their stories) that are doing it already and by this motivating their colleagues to take the first steps, as the researchers answered themselves in the survey. Curious how this lands with you: awards yay or nay?
Analysis of online survey on incentives for FAIR and open data practices [Report]
Link to report on Zenodo with DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15518700
Research Kingdom and Datacat from Metadatia
If you are looking for a refreshing way of introducing the FAIR principles and work of data stewards, this is for you. In this recording, Samantha Pearman-Kanza uses storytelling to communicate the concept of FAIR data and how data stewardship can help, as well as what the Data Steward Network CaSDaR is. Does the story of the FAIR Data Witch and Datacat work for everybody? Probably not. But it can be a great introduction for your next workshop, I am sure there is something here to reuse. So take a look for yourself and let me know what you think. #TeamDatacat
Link to news article on PSDI website
Once upon a Data Steward - A PSDI Webinar [Presentation]
Link to slides on Zenodo with DOI: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16279243
Reporting uncertainties in chemistry
This one’s a quick, smart read which you can directly send to your researchers (not only in chemistry). Reporting uncertainties of e.g. yields is not too common and PSDI has now a lesson on how to tackle the problem and is even providing an R-script.
Reporting uncertainty: an updated convention for organic chemists [Lesson]
Link to lesson on Zenodo with DOI: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16411982
Outro
That is it for today. Thank you for reading, and see you next week. Don't forget to comment on awards for FAIR and open practices, yay or nay? And are you team #datacat