Tools for Data Management & Sharing

Data sharing is an increasingly important aspect of research, as the volume and complexity of data continues to grow. Making data accessible to others can facilitate new discoveries, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and promote transparency and accountability in the scientific process. Online repositories allow researchers to upload and share their datasets, along with associated metadata and documentation. These platforms often provide features like version control, persistent identifiers (such as DOIs), and the ability to track usage and citations. Geisinger has approved Open Science Framework (OSF) for use.

Another important tool for data sharing is one of the data management plans that are increasingly required by funding agencies and journals. These plans outline how researchers will handle, store, and share their data throughout the research life cycle, ensuring that data is properly curated and preserved for future use. Additionally, many scientific journals now require or encourage authors to provide data availability statements explain how to access the data.  Some journals even go so far as to require authors to deposit their data in a public repository as a condition of publication (Colavizza et al., 2020).

As the importance of data sharing continues to grow, researchers and institutions will adopt new tools and best practices to ensure that data is effectively managed, shared, and reused throughout the research lifecycle. If you have questions, reach out to the Library.

Source: Colavizza G, Hrynaszkiewicz I, Staden I, Whitaker K, McGillivray B. The citation advantage of linking publications to research data. PLoS One. 2020 Apr 22;15(4):e0230416. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230416. PMID: 32320428; PMCID: PMC7176083.