Workflows for Publishing Data

Varsha Khodiyar, PhD

Data Curation Editor, Scientific DataNature Publishing Group

varsha.khodiyar@nature.com

@varsha_khodiyar

@scientificdata

Scientific Data's experience as an early adopterRDA P7, 1st to 3rd March 2016

Mandatory and recommended key components of data publishing – WG results

Austin et al. in review. Report preprint doi:10.5281/zenodo.34542

Implemented by Scientific Data Under wider consideration by Springer Nature

Implementation of required elements

• Data PID required to complete manuscript submission

• Data Citation policy enforced by editorial process

• Use of structured repositories which capture subject-specific metadata

• Curation of discovery level metadata (regardless of repository) by dedicated Data Curation Editor

• Machine readable metadata aids discovery

Additional elements - Context

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• Data Descriptor designed to encourage full documentation of data generation

• Articles analysing described data are captured in machine readable metadata (ISA format)

• Linked as associated publication to Data Descriptor online

• Analysis articles published in Nature Publishing Group journals link back to Data Descriptor

• Software availability statement required for previously unpublished software and code

Additional elements - Quality

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• Provision of manuscript (and metadata templates) to help authors provide reuse level metadata

• Dependant on repositories for curation by domain experts

• Editorial Board selected based on expertise in data generation/reuse in their field

• Ensure that peer reviewers can access data easily and confidentially

• Encourage peer reviewers to view and comment on the actual data as part of their assessment

• Editorial office regularly asked for advice on data deposition and repository selection

• Data Descriptors aid visibility of data by considering them as first class publications

• Data Descriptors discoverable via common publication indices such as PubMed

• Discovery level machine readable metadata (in ISA format) generated for every Data Descriptor

• Currently trialling use of metadata for data discovery (ISAexplorer)

• Open to suggestions for other uses of Scientific Data’s machine readable metadata

Additional elements – Visibility / Accessibility

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