New Journal Article: “Are the FAIR Data Principles Fair?”
The following article was recently published by the International Journal of Digital Curation (IJDC).
Title
Are the FAIR Data Principles Fair?
Authors
Alastair Dunning
TU Delft
Madeleine de Smaele
TU Delft
Jasmin Böhmer
TU Delft
Source
International Journal of Digital Curation
doi:10.2218/ijdc.v12i2.567
Abstract
This practice paper describes an ongoing research project to test the effectiveness and relevance of the FAIR Data Principles. Simultaneously, it will analyse how easy it is for data archives to adhere to the principles. The research took place from November 2016 to January 2017, and will be underpinned with feedback from the repositories.
The FAIR Data Principles feature 15 facets corresponding to the four letters of FAIR – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable. These principles have already gained traction within the research world. The European Commission has recently expanded its demand for research to produce open data. The relevant guidelines1are explicitly written in the context of the FAIR Data Principles. Given an increasing number of researchers will have exposure to the guidelines, understanding their viability and suggesting where there may be room for modification and adjustment is of vital importance.
This practice paper is connected to a dataset (Dunning et al.,2017) containing the original overview of the sample group statistics and graphs, in an Excel spreadsheet. Over the course of two months, the web-interfaces, help-pages and metadata-records of over 40 data repositories have been examined, to score the individual data repository against the FAIR principles and facets. The traffic-light rating system enables colour-coding according to compliance and vagueness. The statistical analysis provides overall, categorised, on the principles focussing, and on the facet focussing results.
The analysis includes the statistical and descriptive evaluation, followed by elaborations on Elements of the FAIR Data Principles, the subject specific or repository specific differences, and subsequently what repositories can do to improve their information architecture.
Direct to Full Text Article
18 pages; PDF.
Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Data Files, Journal Articles, News, Open Access
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com. Gary is also the co-founder of infoDJ an innovation research consultancy supporting corporate product and business model teams with just-in-time fact and insight finding.
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