Sharing and citing research data: A repository's perspective

Abstract

Formal data citation is a key element of the growing data-sharing infrastructure, not only facilitating sharing, discovery, and proper use, but also enabling data impact tracking that allows researchers to receive credit for their contributions. Specialized data repositories, such as ICPSR, integrate data citations within study metadata to enhance access and encourage data sharing. National and international efforts are underway to encourage adoption of these types of practices. The eventual result should be that more data creators will benefit from citations by receiving credit for their work. More researchers will benefit by readily finding reproducible research. And more funding agencies will benefit by tracking supported projects’ usage and gauging impact beyond the initial funding. ICPSR and its topical archives, like NACJD, provide an example of how data citation can encourage data archiving and secondary use. They support the growth of the ICPSR Bibliography of Data-related Literature and see the collection as evidence of new scientific findings for consideration in shaping public policy. The Bibliography’s two-way linkages between data and data-associated publications have improved the discovery and the chances of good secondary use of ICPSR data. Due to inconsistent and inadequate data-citing practices in the scholarly literature, tracking data reuse is costly and labor-intensive. Despite this, ICPSR continues to value and invest in the collection of data-related publications, while promoting the creation and use of standards for citing and sharing research data according to best practices.