blog

When projects end, people move on, equipment may be re-homed, and funders may encourage the next phase of research to move in a different direction.  Perhaps the data did not show the expected trend, or perhaps more work is required to fully analyse the dataset.  This is a common experience in fields such as biochemistry, neuroscience, neurobiology, genomics, genetics, and many others. What can you do with this good scientific data that is no longer of direct use to your own work?

Before you abandon the data on a USB stick (read: any storage device) at the bottom of a desk drawer, think about the time, effort and money spent producing, gathering or collating the dataset.  And what about other researchers who might be able to gain meaningful insights from your data?

Publishing your datasets as an F1000Research Data Note could be the answer. Even a small dataset that seems insignificant to your current research can help others – and you’ll get credit for your work!

An F1000Research Data Note will ensure the published data is:

• discoverable – indexing in all the major bibliographic databases ensures that researchers can find your paper and data.
• accessible – we can advise on the best formats to use for your files to ensure long term access.
• cited – each dataset will be published with its own DOI allowing it to be independently cited.
• long-lived – we will only deposit data in repositories with suitable long-term plans in place.
• tracked – we will track the relevant data metrics for your data.

But F1000Research Data Notes are not just for your old data sets!  We checked with a number of journals and publishers, and the majority would not consider a Data Note as a prior publication (see full list of respondents). So you can publish your data as a Data Note and publish further analysis of the data at a later date. You are also able to submit a Data Note for published analysis articles that were unable to take your data or present it fully.
In other words, F1000Research Data Notes allow authors to share their data freely, whilst retaining the option to publish a traditional analysis article before, after, or at the same time as a Data Note.

So there’s never been a better time to set your data free.  As you move on to your next project and before you pack away those data-containing USBs, CDs and hard drives, give your data a new lease of life with an F1000Research Data Note.

Email us at research@f1000.com to find out more.