Open data: myths and realities

Abstract

Open research data is gaining prominence as funders and governments increasingly require data as well as articles to be published and as new data journals launch to support this movement. Many researchers have reservations about publishing their own data, often concerned that doing so will be time-consuming, threaten their claim to their own IP, or not bring them any benefits. In reality preparing data with publication in mind can save time over the lifetime of a research project, IP issues can be managed, and publishing data brings increased citation and other advantages.

This talk will present and counter common open data myths, providing counter-examples and evidence from recent scholarly communication studies. Researchers will gain the background they need to make informed decisions about publishing their data, while information professionals will benefit from an increased familiarity with potential concerns and an ability to better inform their researcher colleagues.