To share or not to share, that is the question: a qualitative study of Chinese astronomers’ perceptions, practices, and hesitations about open data sharing

Abstract

Many astronomers in Western countries may have taken open data sharing (ODS) for granted to enhance astronomical discoveries and productivity. However, how strong such an assumption holds among Chinese astronomers has not been investigated or deliberated extensively. This may hinder international ODS with Chinese astronomers and lead to a misunderstanding of Chinese astronomers’ perceptions and practices of ODS. To fill this gap, we conducted a qualitative study comprising 14 semi-structured interviews and 136 open-ended survey responses with Chinese astronomers to understand their choices and concerns regarding ODS. We found that many Chinese astronomers conducted ODS to promote research outputs and respected it as a tradition. Some Chinese astronomers have advocated for data rights protection and data infrastructure’s further improvement in usability and availability to guarantee their ODS practices. Still, some Chinese astronomers agonized about ODS regarding the validity of oral commitment with international research groups and the choices between international traditions and domestic customs in ODS. We discovered two dimensions in Chinese astronomers’ action strategies and choices of ODS and discussed their descriptions and consequences. We also proposed the implications of our research for enhancing international ODS in future work.