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Technology — Science — Health-and-wellness — Research data

Disappeared After Publication: A Mystery Unraveled?

Researchers ought to focus on the exit plans of repositories, as these strategies maintain the lasting accessibility of research data.

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Strategists in the scientific community need to focus on exit strategies in repositories to secure...
Strategists in the scientific community need to focus on exit strategies in repositories to secure the ongoing accessibility of research data over extended periods.

Disappeared After Publication: A Mystery Unraveled?

Let's Get Real About Data:

Keep an Eye on Repo Exit Strategies

Trusting local drives with your precious research data ain't wise, mate. Proper research data repositories, where you can manage, archive, publish, and securely store your data long-term, are where it's at. Yet, even data that's published can go poof if the repositories or digital archives shut down, and that's where things get hairy - research could end up in the trash can. Unfortunate as it may be, repositories sometimes get booted for various reasons like dwindling funds, outdated tech, or institutional decisions.

Dorothea Strecker, bless her, provides a lowdown on this mess in a YouTube talk based on her recently MIT Press published article in Quantitative Science Studies. A couple of studies in Nature (doi: link) and Jasist (doi: link) support her claims, highlighting the fact that millions of research papers worldwide could be in danger due to the unstable funding of repositories hosting servers. If these repositories call it quits, scientists are left high and dry, unsure of how to secure and migrate their data. To prevent this, operators need an "exit strategy" - a solid plan for leaving the data business - and they need to stick to it.

On top of long-term archiving, an exit strategy should also involve a clear system of responsibilities, like transferring data to other, more sustainable archives when necessary. Certificates for repositories, like CoreTrustSeal, require operators to develop long-term access strategies for their data, no matter if the repository is still operational or not.

It's Not Just About the Long Haul

From a technical standpoint, the repository needs to make sure its data formats and storage systems will play nice with future tech. This means regularly reviewing and adapting systems to avoid important data getting stuck in yesterday's formats, which might become inaccessible or uninterpretable in the future. Special care is needed for proprietary formats.

The scientific community shares the responsibility of providing and utilizing sustainable and trustworthy infrastructures for research data access. Non-strategic repositories that lack well-thought-out exit strategies aren't just risking the current data; they're also putting a dent in the overall trust in the digital scientific world.

Stay alert, folks! Pay attention to the exit strategies of the repo operators and journals you're relying on for your research data. Check out our Knowledge-Base for a list of recommended repositories and don't forget about the two repositories operated by our consortium, Chemotion and RADAR4Chem, which have a well-prepared exit strategy!

Theo Bender

Steps to Survival

To ensure the long-term availability and security of your research data, here are some essential elements for an effective exit strategy:

  1. Clear Persistence Policies: Ensure your data will be accessible and usable for the long haul. Create guidelines for data preservation, including formats, storage solutions, and access rights.
  2. Institutional Partnerships: Collaborate with universities and other institutions to provide long-term support for data management.
  3. Choosing the Right Repositories: Select repositories that adhere to data management principles, using repository finder tools to find platforms specialized for specific data types or domains.
  4. Data Security and Access Controls: Implement robust security measures, like encryption, permissions, and audit trails, to safeguard sensitive data while allowing authorized access.
  5. Communication and Collaboration Tools: Facilitate collaboration by using platforms with real-time monitoring and Q&A sections to ensure transparency and efficiency.
  6. Independent Archival Solutions: Adopt independent, purpose-built archival solutions that prioritize compliance and data governance over vendor-specific features.
  7. Support and Maintenance: Provide continuous support to users and stakeholders, offering multilingual 24/7 assistance during the transition process.

By executing these strategies, researchers can ensure their research data's long-term availability and security.

Implementation Tips

  • Documentation: Organize all legal and operational documents in a secure, cloud-based storage system.
  • Monitoring and Analytics: Track data access using audit trails and gauge interest from potential stakeholders.
  • Scalability: Choose solutions that can scale to meet future data needs.
  • Compliance: Always stay in compliance with relevant data governance and security standards.
  1. In the realm of health-and-wellness, it's crucial to leverage data-and-cloud-computing technology for the long-term storage and security of research data, especially considering the potential risks posed by the unstable funding of repositories.
  2. The science community plays a significant role in ensuring sustainable and trustworthy research data infrastructure. By associating with reputable repositories that follow best practices for data management, researchers can help minimize the risk of losing valuable data.
  3. Technology is not just a tool for storing data; it should also enable seamless integration with future advancements in therapies-and-treatments, safeguarding research data from becoming obsolete due to outdated storage systems or data formats.

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