GFBio supports the development and implementation of effective data management strategies for findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) data from small to large scale research projects.

Step-by-step guide

GFBio assists in data management during all stages of the research project.

Dependent on the project status, GFBio supports

  1. the development of a data management plan (DMP) during planning of the project, that can be included in grant proposals;
  2. the submission of complex data to one or more suitable data centers for long term storage, including data curation, that results in
  3. publications of citable and accessible data packages.

1. Data Management Plan (DMP)

The Data Management Plan (DMP) should ideally be developed before the start of the project. However, it also helps to organize and clarify data that has already been created. In order to develop a DMP, crucial questions have to be answered, as for example

  • any legal requirements associated with different types of data and different funding sources
  • the type of data and the associated metadata that is collected
  • how the data will be stored and backed up during duration of the project
  • which data archive is suitable for submission (and associated requirements)

These questions are relevant in all projects that generate data, irrespective of the type or volume. Therefore, in cooperation with you as a researcher, the GFBio team will help answer these questions to generate a robust DMP. However, it is not a static document- in the case that a research project shifts its focus, the DMP will be adjusted accordingly.

For detailed information on how to create a data management plan visit the step by step explanation here or use the GFBio Data Management Plan Tool.

2. Submission and archiving of data

Large amount of data can be generated during the lifetime of research projects. Often this data does not fall into one category, but is a mixed dataset that cannot be easily submitted to one data archive.

The submission of complex data sets and the curation and distribution to the respective data archives by GFBio facilitates the process of complex data submission via its submission tool. This ensures the availability of all data and metadata acquired during a project. The decision where the data is deposited, which open access license is applied and when it will be fully released is always done in collaboration with the researcher.

Within this procedure, the GFBio data centers guarantee the long-term storage and accessibility of the submitted data for a minimum of 10 years.

3. Data publishing

The datasets submitted to GFBio are published under a citable DOI if this is desired by the submitter. In many journals, deposition of data associated with an article becomes a prerequisite for publishing. But also data unrelated to an article can and should be published.

This provides broader visibility of the data collected and this data can be used by other researchers who cite the corresponding DOI in any publications.

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