RSpace & Figshare: towards an integrated reearch data workflow

Abstract

One of the major advances over the last 10 years for sharing content has been the development and gradually increasing use of data repositories, of which Figshare is a leading example. The recent integration of the RSpace digital research platform with Figshare is an example of how data sharing can be taken to a new level in the next five years.

The integration, which will be described in the slides, enables direct deposit of datasets and metadata from RSpace into Figshare. By enabling the capture of lab data electronically in the RSpace ELN and providing a simple deposit interface to Figshare, the integration facilitates two workflows emerging as critical in the new digital research environment.

The first is the seamless transfer of ‘active’ research data into a data repository or archive for public access, citation/gauge of attention and impact, and long term preservation. The second is the deposit of datasets related to research into a data repository for association with the publication reporting on the results of the research.

The RSpace-to-Figshare integration supports both workflows, demonstrating the commitment of Figshare and Research Space to a connected approach to dealing with research data.

Both Figshare and RSpace are designed as open tools, capable of easy interoperation with other tools and other components of the research infrastructure. Their integration with each other, and with other tools and systems used by researchers, highlights the potential of a dynamic and open research data infrastructure that allows data sharing to occur through using mulitiple interoperable tools, at different stage of the research process, and involving various categories of relevant participants, including labs, researchers, funders, universities, and publishers