MOU Between DataCite And FAIRsharing: Improving Criteria For the Recommendation of Data Repositories
From a DataCite Announcement:
We’re delighted to announce a joint effort between DataCite and FAIRsharing to improve, in collaboration with several leading publishers, the criteria used by journal publishers for the recommendation of research data repositories for the benefit of the broader research community.
The Project
Researchers are increasingly asked by funder and journal publisher data policies to share the digital objects (datasets, software, workflows, pre-prints etc.) that underlie their publications. It’s therefore crucial that they receive guidance about where to deposit these data, and which metadata standards are relevant. Currently, different organizations maintain different lists of recommended (deposition) repositories and these are not aligned. A common list of repositories, chosen using the same criteria, would save editors/publishers time and provide authors with consistent guidance.
In this context, DataCite and FAIRsharing are carrying out a joint project to identify a set of criteria for the recommendation of research data repositories for the benefit of the broader research community.
This activity builds on the work started in 2018 between publishers participating in the FORCE11 Data Citation Implementation Pilot (DCIP), represented by Helena Cousijn, the FAIRsharing Force11 and Research Data Alliance WG, represented by Susanna-Assunta Sansone and Peter McQuilton, and major publishers and data journals (Cambridge University Press, eLife, Elsevier, EMBO Press, F1000, Oxford University Press’s GigaScience, PLOS, Springer Nature’s Scientific Data, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley) that were part of the DCIP and/or who are already working with FAIRsharing to interlink their data policies with recommended repositories and standards.
Next Steps
The aim is to publish a final version before the end of the year. The resulting criteria will be implemented by FAIRsharing to enable publishers to start recommending repositories based on these criteria, and will be used by DataCite as input in the European FAIRsFAIR project.
Direct to Complete Announcement
Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Data Files, Elsevier, News, Open Access, PLOS, Publishing

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.