Open comments on the Task Force SIRS report: Scholarly Infrastructures for Research Software (EOSC Executive Board, EOSCArchitecture)

Recio²

2022

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Background: Research Software is a concept that has been only recently clarified. In this paper we address the need for a similar enlightenment concerning the Research Data concept. Methods: Our contribution begins by reviewing the Research Software definition, which includes the analysis of software as a legal concept, followed by the study of its production in the research environment and within the Open Science framework. Then we explore the challenges of a data definition and some of the Research Data definitions proposed in the literature. Results: We propose a Research Data concept featuring three characteristics: the data should be produced (collected, processed, analyzed, shared & disseminated) to answer a scientific question, by a scientific team, and has yield a result published or disseminated in some article or scientific contribution of any kind. Conclusions: The analysis of this definition and the context in which it is proposed provides some answers to the Borgman’s conundrum challenges, that is, which Research Data might be shared, by whom, with whom, under what conditions, why, and to what effects. They are completed with answers to the questions: how? and where?

“…In this section we bring together some of the existing definitions of software as a legal object (see references below). We also recall our definition of RS coming from 3 , 18 .…”

Section: Research Softwarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Softwarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Softwarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Softwarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Research Software vs. Research Data I: Towards a Research Data definition in the Open Science context

Recio²

2022

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Research Software vs. Research Data I: Towards a Research Data definition in the Open Science context

Recio

2022

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Research Software vs. Research Data II: Protocols for Research Data dissemination and evaluation in the Open Science context

Recio

2022

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Background: Open Science seeks to render research outputs visible, accessible and reusable. In this context, Research Data and Research Software sharing and dissemination issues provide real challenges to the scientific community, as consequence of recent progress in political, legal and funding requirements. Methods: We take advantage from the approach we have developed in a precedent publication, in which we have highlighted the similarities between the Research Data and Research Software definitions. Results: The similarities between Research Data and Research Software definitions can be extended to propose protocols for Research Data dissemination and evaluation derived from those already proposed for Research Software dissemination and evaluation. We also analyze FAIR principles for these outputs. Conclusions: Our proposals here provide concrete instructions for Research Data and Research Software producers to make them more findable and accessible, as well as arguments to choose suitable dissemination platforms to complete the FAIR framework. Future work could analyze the potential extension of this parallelism to other kinds of research outputs that are disseminated under similar conditions to those of Research Data and Research Software, that is, without widely accepted publication procedures involving editors or other external actors and where the dissemination is usually restricted through the hands of the production team.