Yesterday, the US National Academies announced publication of a new report called "Open Science by Design: Realizing a Vision for the 21st Century". This is a broad-ranging report about how the practice and communication of science is changing in the digital world. You can find the a link to the report, a summary, background on the committee and the process that produced the report, and a link to the webcast (including a transcript) here:
(Disclosure: this report was done by the Board on Research Data and Information at the Academies; I am a former co-chair of this, though I wasn't involved in the development of this report.)
There have also been a series of interesting reports coming out of Europe recently, emphasizing the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) Principles for research data (which are also heavily emphasized in the US report above). These principles sound simple, but how to actually accomplish them is a formidable research problem.
The European Commission Expert Group on Fair Data has issued an interim report and and action plan; these can be found respectively at
Turning FAIR data into reality: interim report from the European Commission Expert Group on FAIR data | Zenodo
Interim report of the European Commission Expert Group on Turning FAIR Data into reality. The Group has a remit to provide recommendations, indicators and input on the financing of activities required to turn FAIR data into reality at an EU, Member State and international level. A FAIR Data Action Plan has also been proposed. See https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1285290 The interim report will be formally released at the EOSC Summit on 11 June 2018 in Brussels, where a workshop will be run to cons...
and
FAIR Data Action Plan: Interim recommendations and actions from the European Commission Expert Group on FAIR data | Zenodo
An interim FAIR Data Action Plan developed by the European Commission Expert Group on Turning FAIR Data into reality. The Group has a remit to provide recommendations, indicators and input on the financing of activities required to turn FAIR data into reality at an EU, Member State and international level. See the full interim report at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1285272 The FAIR Data Action Plan is intended to act as a rubric for Member States and research communities to develop context-spe...
The Expert Group is conducting a Consultation till August 5 and has invited comment on these documents. See
EC Expert Group on Turning FAIR Data into Reality - CODATA, Committee on Data of the ISC
EC Expert Group on Turning FAIR Data into Reality The European Commission’s Expert Group on FAIR Data, chaired by Simon Hodson, CODATA Executive Director, published the interim report ‘Turning FAIR Data into Reality’ and the interim ‘FAIR Data Action Plan’ on 11 June 2018 at the Second EOSC Summit in Brussels. Interim Report and Action Plan The […]
for further information and background on the Expert Group.
In the UK, the JISC have recently issued a report "FAIR in Practice" which can be found here
FAIR in practice - Jisc report on the Findable Accessible Interoperable and Reuseable Data Principles | Zenodo
This report investigates the meaning and (potential) impact of the FAIR data principles in practice. These principles were established by a group of diverse stakeholders engaging via a working group in FORCE11. They are referenced in many policy documents and in developments of open science, for example, the European Open Science Cloud. This report explored FAIR with stakeholders in the UK academic research community. Its aims were to understand how using or being inspired by these principles i...
and there is a useful blog posting here
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/blog/open-science-is-all-very-well-but-how-do-you-make-it-fair-in-practice-12-jul-2018In the Netherlands, SURF has also produced a report "FAIR Data Advanced Use Cases" which is at
FAIR Data Advanced Use Cases: from principles to practice in the Netherlands | Zenodo
A SURF report. SURF is the collaborative ICT organisation for Dutch education and research. SURF offers students, lecturers and scientists in the Netherlands access to the best possible internet and ICT facilities. The idea that data needs to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable is a simple message which appeals to many. The 15 international FAIR principles were published in 2016. They serve as a guideline for preparing research data for reuse under clearly described conditions by...
And finally, LIBER (the European Research Library Network) has issued the "LIBER Open Science Roadmap" in conjunction with its recent annual meeting. See
LIBER Open Science Roadmap | Zenodo
Embracing Open Science is critical if we are to make science more collaborative, reproducible, transparent and impactful. Open Science undoubtedly has the power to positively influence society, but its implementation is not yet universal. A revolution is required: one which opens up research processes and changes mindsets in favour of a world where policies, tools and infrastructures universally support the growth and sharing of knowledge. Research libraries are well placed to make that revoluti...
LIBER's web page at https://libereurope.eu/blog/2018/07/03/liber-launches-open-science-roadmap/ has some additional useful background.
Happy Summer reading!
Clifford Lynch Director, CNI
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