Thinking About the Making of Data

Editor's Notes

• #13: Work with dans Reviewed 400 papers deep dive 114
• #17: Tons of challenges
• #20: Interviews = primary results that will speak about today Highest number of respondents from computer science and information sciences; also spoke with librarians who were able to give insight into behaviors and needs of patrons (whom they support) in numerous disciplines Majority – researchers, although some active in other areas, have numerous roles Diverse career stages - early career (0-5 years, n=5), mid-career (6-15 years, n=11), experienced (16+ years, n=6), and retired (n=1). Countries - The most frequently represented countries are the United States (n=6) and the Netherlands (n=3). Some participants currently work outside of their home countries or have past experience working abroad, influences I will also briefly discuss data from recent survey that built on findings of these interviews; still in analysis phase
• #21: A Broader Understanding of Data Needed by Users Data needed for research are not always research data. Metadata, texts, server logs, device specifications, social media posts – all are used for foreground and background purposes in research but do not fall into what may traditionally be thought of as “research data.” – not created through research or for research Data play many roles. Background uses (calibration, comparison) well-documented. But also others less well examined that were mentioned in interviews. Data seekers use data to support research and teaching and to answer new research questions. Data also act as hubs for collaboration and creativity – but more small, local collaborations Found that could seek data from researcher in order to enter collaboration, also that collaborations were seen as a “safe” way of sharing data. Data-related events/trainings at libraries  new ideas for projects/collaborations
• #22: In survey – followed up on Half of survey respondents say that they sometimes do (and sometimes don’t) discover data differently than they discover literature; 18% always do; 30% - no difference in how discover data and literature  Overlaps in search practices, quite likely influenced by other research practices
• #23: Dive a bit deeper – all respondents who indicated that use literature as source to find data asked this question; could select more than one response (To do: include number of responses on the slide) Employ similar practices that know from academic literature search -following citations – raises interesting questions, given unstandardized methods for data citation in many research disciplines -While some purposely search the literature with the goal of finding data – 20 % also indicate that discover serendipitously – during course of other reading or searching practice
• #24: Also see overlaps in discovery strategies outside of using the academic literature; n=1677 – all respondents 17% and 71% - often or occasionally locate data serendipitously when searching actively for something else; lower numbers for those who discover serendipitously when not actively searching See clear overlaps with other data practices – discovering data during sharing and management, when searching for something else – but at same time, also actively searching online - -- Graph/image creation: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/convert-images-to-svg-format-with-inkscape/ https://kb.tableau.com/articles/howto/stacked-bar-chart-multiple-measures
• #25: Another common theme throughout the survey (be ready for a question here) and in all interviews except for one – the key role of social interactions and communication in discovering data became one of clearest themes. Quotes from interviewees demonstrate this- Seen as most efficient and accurate way of finding data, particularly within close community. Quote from psychologist – looking for large datasets to reuse, and paleontologist – who knows quite a bit about issues of data reuse – makes heavy use of email list for his community to find his ”data” Also not all data available or searchable; infrastructures not available – in case of water scientist spoke with in Malaysia – found that most effective way was the “personal approach” – go to governmental agency in person and develop relationship with
• #26: The importance of social interactions is not limited to finding and accessing data. Extends to how participants are evaluating and making sense of data before reusing it. Read this quote. Here – see as chance to develop collaborations and build networks, but also imperative to understanding what is really happening with the data
• #27: For another participant, problems in data search are not finding data, but finding collaborators who can make sense of the data
• #28: Consider Supporting Social Interactions Social interactions are used to locate, evaluate and develop trust in data. Data themselves can facilitate new collaborations. Designing ways to contact data authors, perhaps to provide more info about authors - and ways to contact them – by linking to other profiles – in Mendeley? ORCIDs? Scopus IDs? Ways to integrate offline and online interactions around data including links to in-person training opportunities, last quote about experts being bottleneck – way to create community of data experts – willing to collaborate and answer questions?
• #30: Why – because you want to be precise Problem – information extractioni
• #35: 1700 active contributors
• #37: Data are diverse – As saw in the earlier example, a single individual can need a diversity of data, but data themselves are diverse, the definition of what data even are lies in the eye of the beholder. Text (as in case of field notebook) or even journal articles themselves can be data to a person in a particular situation; for another person, or even in a different situation, the same objects are not data. As Chrsitine Bormgan puts it “one person’s signal is another person’s noise” Data do not (or rarely) stand alone – In order to make sense of and reuse data, need associated information/metadata (e.g. protocols, collection conditions) and analysis tools. Also need skills, technologies, resources to process and use as evidence Taking Borgman’s definition of data here: Data are representations of observations, objects, or other entities used as evidence of phenomena for the purposes of research or scholarship." - Data do not travel easily – “Data often thought of as discrete units, stable in format and content, that can be moved across a range of contexts and reused” (Leonelli et al). But these different conceptions of data, different contexts of (re)use and the context of creation– make it difficult for data to be simply transported, unpacked and used.
• #51: Interviews = primary results that will speak about today Highest number of respondents from computer science and information sciences; also spoke with librarians who were able to give insight into behaviors and needs of patrons (whom they support) in numerous disciplines Majority – researchers, although some active in other areas, have numerous roles Diverse career stages - early career (0-5 years, n=5), mid-career (6-15 years, n=11), experienced (16+ years, n=6), and retired (n=1). Countries - The most frequently represented countries are the United States (n=6) and the Netherlands (n=3). Some participants currently work outside of their home countries or have past experience working abroad, influences I will also briefly discuss data from recent survey that built on findings of these interviews; still in analysis phase
• #52: A Broader Understanding of Data Needed by Users Data needed for research are not always research data. Metadata, texts, server logs, device specifications, social media posts – all are used for foreground and background purposes in research but do not fall into what may traditionally be thought of as “research data.” – not created through research or for research Data play many roles. Background uses (calibration, comparison) well-documented. But also others less well examined that were mentioned in interviews. Data seekers use data to support research and teaching and to answer new research questions. Data also act as hubs for collaboration and creativity – but more small, local collaborations Found that could seek data from researcher in order to enter collaboration, also that collaborations were seen as a “safe” way of sharing data. Data-related events/trainings at libraries  new ideas for projects/collaborations
• #53: Literature also an important source/entry point to data discovery for interview participants  Led to question of how exactly participants use the literature, and where the overlaps are with the use of and search for literature in course of other research practices
• #54: In survey – followed up on Half of survey respondents say that they sometimes do (and sometimes don’t) discover data differently than they discover literature; 18% always do; 30% - no difference in how discover data and literature  Overlaps in search practices, quite likely influenced by other research practices
• #55: Dive a bit deeper – all respondents who indicated that use literature as source to find data asked this question; could select more than one response (To do: include number of responses on the slide) Employ similar practices that know from academic literature search -following citations – raises interesting questions, given unstandardized methods for data citation in many research disciplines -While some purposely search the literature with the goal of finding data – 20 % also indicate that discover serendipitously – during course of other reading or searching practice
• #56: Also see overlaps in discovery strategies outside of using the academic literature; n=1677 – all respondents 17% and 71% - often or occasionally locate data serendipitously when searching actively for something else; lower numbers for those who discover serendipitously when not actively searching See clear overlaps with other data practices – discovering data during sharing and management, when searching for something else – but at same time, also actively searching online - -- Graph/image creation: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/convert-images-to-svg-format-with-inkscape/ https://kb.tableau.com/articles/howto/stacked-bar-chart-multiple-measures
• #57: Another common theme throughout the survey (be ready for a question here) and in all interviews except for one – the key role of social interactions and communication in discovering data became one of clearest themes. Quotes from interviewees demonstrate this- Seen as most efficient and accurate way of finding data, particularly within close community. Quote from psychologist – looking for large datasets to reuse, and paleontologist – who knows quite a bit about issues of data reuse – makes heavy use of email list for his community to find his ”data” Also not all data available or searchable; infrastructures not available – in case of water scientist spoke with in Malaysia – found that most effective way was the “personal approach” – go to governmental agency in person and develop relationship with
• #58: The importance of social interactions is not limited to finding and accessing data. Extends to how participants are evaluating and making sense of data before reusing it. Read this quote. Here – see as chance to develop collaborations and build networks, but also imperative to understanding what is really happening with the data
• #59: For another participant, problems in data search are not finding data, but finding collaborators who can make sense of the data