Welcome to the latest News Digest! Each week, I explore the latest developments in research data management, focusing specifically on natural sciences, and provide a concise overview.

I want to let you know that from now on, not all software uploads to Zenodo will be included in the News Digest. Instead, the Git repositories will be monitored, and only major updates will be reported here. The goal is to keep this overview short and informative.

Let’s dive right in!

How eLabFTW makes lab life easier

What is the best way to show how useful electronic lab notebooks (ELN) can be? Show researchers that use them successfully in their day-to-day work. Today, I want to show you such a success. An interview with the CRC 1430 Data Champion Awardee Gina Simon. In the interview, Gina Simon explains how she uses eLabFTW in her work, what is tracked in the ELN and how templates and standards improve research documentation. So, check out the interview right now:

Link to the interview with Gina Simon (website of University Duisburg-Essen)

Report of FAIR4ChemNL findings (Zenodo upload)

Last week the agenda of the FAIR4ChemNL workshop, which took place in June 2024 in Utrecht (Netherlands), was published. Now a report on the findings of the workshop is available on Zenodo (see the link below). The report has the goal to giving an overview of “research data management (RDM) initiatives within the chemistry domain in Germany and the Netherlands … as presented and discussed during the FAIR4ChemNL workshop”. It is definitely worth checking out (see link below), but I also feel like there is some information missing. Since the scope of the report are initiatives in Germany, I think the support and services by other NFDI consortia like FAIRmat and NFDI4Chem are missing. They are mentioned shortly in the beginning, but later in chapters 5 and 6 entirely forgotten. To me, this feels like a missed opportunity for collaboration here. But check out the report yourself and let me know what you think. Do you disagree? Have I missed something? Let me know in the comments.

Link to Zenodo publication with DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14265625

Stammtisch recording: RADAR4Chem

In October 2024 the repository RADAR4Chem, a generic repository for chemistry data, was presented at the NFDI4Chem Stammtisch. The recording is now available at the NFDI4Chem YouTube-Channel. In the presentation, a general introduction to RADAR4Chem is given, as well as detailed information on the latest developments and how to start using the repository. Furthermore, the SFB 985 shows how they used the repository to publish their data and explain their workflows (check out the video below).

Link to the recording on YouTube

New Zenodo upload

A presentation about the latest updates to InChI the IUPAC International Chemical Identifier was uploaded to Zenodo. Providing information on the latest developments, specially regarding developments in representing inorganics.

News from the InChI: making the InChI FAIR and including inorganics [Presentation]
Link to Zenodo publication with DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15009038

I am very much looking forward to the next few weeks: As a trainer, I will be part of two two-day workshops on research data management and at the beginning of April I will join the Fellowship of the Data meeting in Jena (Germany). Looking forward to meeting some familiar and new faces. Who will be in Jena? Let’s meet up.

Link to website of Fellowship of the data

That is it for today. Thanks for reading, and see you next week, with another News Digest.

My name is Dr. Benjamin Golub-Overbeck, and I offer training and consulting services in research data management, particularly for the natural and life sciences. Are you unsure about your research data management practices? Do you want to stay updated on the latest developments or explore new workflows, such as implementing an electronic lab notebook? Or do you just need an introduction to FAIR data management?

With The FAIR Elephant, I can help you find tailored solutions to meet your needs. Contact me at thefairelephant@posteo.de—because your data deserves it!