Data reuse and sensemaking among novice social scientists

We know little about the data reuse practices of novice data users. Yet large scale data reuse over the long term depends in part on uptake from early career researchers. This paper examines 22 novice social science researchers and how they make sense of social science data. Novices are particularly interested in understanding how data: 1) are transformed from qualitative to quantitative data, 2) capture concepts not well‐established in the literature, and 3) can be matched and merged across multiple datasets. We discuss how novice data users make sense of data in these three circumstances. We find that novices seek to understand the data producer's rationale for methodological procedures and measurement choices, which is broadly similar to researchers in other scientific communities. However we also find that they not only reflect on whether they can trust the data producers' decisions, but also seek guidance from members of their disciplinary community. Specifically, novice social science researchers are heavily influenced by more experienced social science researchers when it comes to discovering, evaluating, and justifying their reuse of other's data.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96429/1/14504901068_ftp.pd

Beyond the Data Deluge: A Research Agenda for Large-Scale Data Sharing and Reuse

There is almost universal agreement that scientific data should be shared for use beyond the purposes for which they were initially collected. Access to data enables system-level science, expands the instruments and products of research to new communities, and advances solutions to complex human problems. While demands for data are not new, the vision of open access to data is increasingly ambitious. The aim is to make data accessible and usable to anyone, anytime, anywhere, and for any purpose. Until recently, scholarly investigations related to data sharing and reuse were sparse. They have become more common as technology and instrumentation have advanced, policies that mandate sharing have been implemented, and research has become more interdisciplinary. Each of these factors has contributed to what is commonly referred to as the "data deluge". Most discussions about increases in the scale of sharing and reuse have focused on growing amounts of data. There are other issues related to open access to data that also concern scale which have not been as widely discussed: broader participation in data sharing and reuse, increases in the number and types of intermediaries, and more digital data products. The purpose of this paper is to develop a research agenda for scientific data sharing and reuse that considers these three areas

Destruction/reconstruction: preservation of archaeological and zoological research data

Archaeology and zoology are fields in which data collection and analysis involve destruction. In this study we examine the results of 49 interviews with archaeologists and zoologists, focusing on researchers’ discussions of internal or disciplinary norms and external factors affecting their attitudes and actions concerning preservation. We identified two categories of disciplinary practices: data collection and data management/recordkeeping as key to shaping attitudes and activities about preservation. Likewise, we found three external factors: funding, legal requirements, and the status of museums and repositories, influencing attitudes toward preservation. We found while archaeologists and zoologists are uniquely positioned to appreciate the value of data preservation, because data collection in both disciplines involves destruction, they are skeptical about whether preservation is possible, and that these attitudes are influenced by both internal and external factors.This research was made possible by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, LG-06-10-0140-10: Dissemination Information Packages for Information Reuse.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111298/1/Frank_Yakel_Faniel_2015_DestructionReconstruction_A.pdfDescription of Frank_Yakel_Faniel_2015_DestructionReconstruction_A.pdf : Main Articl

The role of data reuse in the apprenticeship process

The availability of research data through digital repositories has made data reuse a possibility in a growing number of fields. This paper reports on the results of interviews with 27 zoologists, 43 quantitative social scientists and 22 archaeologists. It examines how data reuse contributes to the apprenticeship process and aids students in becoming full members of scholarly disciplines. Specifically, it investigates how data reuse contributes to the processes by which novice researchers join academic communities of practice. We demonstrate how projects involving data reuse provide a unique opportunity for advisors to mentor novices through the process of creating knowledge. In these situations, senior researchers model general reuse practices and impart skills for their students to use in the future when selecting, evaluating, and analyzing data they did not collect. For novices, data reuse constitutes a form of legitimate peripheral participation, a way for them to enter the community of practice by analyzing data that has been previously collected and reflecting on others' methodologies. Our study findings indicate that reuse occurs across each target community studied. They also suggest how repositories can help foster a reuse culture by providing access to data and building trust in research communities.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106839/1/14505001051_ftp.pd

Looting Hoards of Gold and Poaching Spotted Owls: Data Confidentiality Among Archaeologists & Zoologists

Researchers in the social and health sciences are used to dealing with confidential data, and repositories in these areas have developed mechanisms to prevent unethical or illegal disclosure of this data. However, other scientific communities also collect data whose disclosure may cause harm to communities, cultures, or the environment. This paper presents results from 62 interviews and observations with archaeologists and zoologists. It focuses on how researchers’ perceptions of potential harm influence attitudes about data confidentiality, and how these, in turn, influence opinions about who should be responsible for managing access to data. This is particularly problematic in archaeology when harm is not to a living individual but is targeted at a community or culture that may or may not have living representatives, and in zoology when an environment or a species may be at risk. We find that while both archaeologists and zoologists view location information as highly important and valuable in facilitating use and reuse of data, they also acknowledge that location should at times be considered confidential information since it can be used to facilitate the destruction of cultural property through looting or decimation of endangered species through poaching. While researchers in both disciplines understand the potential dangers of allowing disclosure of this information, they disagree about who should take responsibility for access decisions and conditions.The DIPIR Project was made possible by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, LG-06-10-0140-10, “Dissemination Information Packages for Information Reuse.”Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115883/1/Frank_etal_ASIST2015_Looting_Hoards_of_Gold_postprint.pdfDescription of Frank_etal_ASIST2015_Looting_Hoards_of_Gold_postprint.pdf : Conference pape

Using collective curation to pay data forward in the life cycle

Drawing from a study of archaeological excavation teams, four collective curation opportunities are proposed to identify and resolve differences in data and documentation practices that arise in team-based research. To create more integrated, well-documented data, the opportunities attend to integrating people rather than technology. The actions people take as data move through the life cycle become the focal point of change

A comparative study of data reuse among quantitative social scientists and archaeologists

This paper presents preliminary findings from a comparative study of data reuse in the quantitative social science and archaeology disciplines. Quantitative social scientists have been engaged in large-scale data sharing and reuse from centralized repositories for over 50 years. In contrast, archaeologists are transitioning from sharing and reusing data on a small-scale, one-to-one basis with colleagues and museums to large scale sharing and reuse via centralized repositories. In this study, we consider whether approaches to supporting data reuse in quantitative social science can be applied to the archaeological community. Currently we are examining data reuse practices in both disciplines via three points of comparison and will discuss preliminary findings regarding: 1) the nature of context needed during reuse, 2) the use of a bibliography of data related literature, and 3) the role of intermediaries.the Institute for Museum and Library Services/LG-06-10-0140-10published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe