Understanding scientific data sharing outside of the academy

Abstract

Sharing and reuse of scientific data, which can enhance the transparency and reproducibility of research and lead to the creation of new knowledge from existing data, is both a growing scholarly communication practice and an expanding area of interest in information science. However, much of the literature to date has focused on the data practices of scientists working in academic environments, with less research done on understanding the practices of scientists working in other types of environments, such as government or industry. This poster presents the results of a study in which data from a worldwide survey of scientists were analyzed to determine if differences in data practices, perceptions, and access to resources for data sharing existed between scientists who reported their primary work sector as academic and those who reported a non-academic primary work sector. Researchers' perceptions of data sharing and reuse were generally positive and did not differ significantly by work sector. However, differences were found in actual reported data sharing practices, even when controlling for researchers' age, geographic location, and subject discipline. Researchers outside of academia had lesser odds of reporting sharing all their data. Differences were also found in reported barriers to data sharing, as well as in reported access to and use of data sharing resources, suggesting that data sharing challenges faced by scientists working outside of academia may differ from those faced by their academic peers. Implications for the adoption of data sharing practices and technologies, as well as for knowledge sharing and creation across work sectors, are discussed, and suggestions are offered for further research.