A study by IOP Publishing (IOPP) has highlighted differences in how physical science research communities adopt open data sharing and the various barriers they encounter.
Data for articles published in 2024. Source: “Bringing researchers on board: Navigating the barriers to sharing data publicly “, IOPP
Environmental scientists are the most open with their research data, yet legal constraints related to third-party ownership often limit their ability to follow the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability (FAIR) principles. Physicists are also willing to share data but have concerns about the accessibility and understanding of the formats used. Engineering and materials scientists face the most significant barriers to sharing FAIR data due to concerns over confidentiality and sensitivity.
Key takeaways:
Overall, only one in ten physical science researchers share Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data alongside their published articles.
Environmental scientists:
Over 80% share research data openly
Just under 60% follow the FAIR principles
Biggest barrier: legal constraints due to third-party ownership of data
Physicists:
Over 70%share research data openly
Only 18% adhere to FAIR principles
Biggest barrier: data format considered inaccessible even if available
Engineering scientists:
Only 55% share their data openly
Under 8% follow the FAIR principles
Biggest barrier: no (known) repository to submit data
Materials scientists:
Over 70% share their data openly
Just under 5% follow the FAIR principles
Biggest barrier: confidential or sensitive data
Access to data enables replication of research and strengthens trust in the results. The FAIR principles were introduced in 2016 to standardise metadata, assign persistent identifiers, and provide clear usage licenses, ensuring that research data can be easily located, accessed, combined, and reused with proper attribution.
Since 2022, IOPP requires all authors to include a data availability statement in their articles, outlining whether and how the data supporting their research can be accessed. This policy was extended in 2023, requiring authors who are unable or unwilling to share their data publicly to explain why.
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.
