The Status of Basic Science Researchers in Sharing and Reusing Research Data

The existing information and communication technologies have provided a platform through which researchers are able to share even the data used in their research, which may have been difficult to obtain, with other researchers and others to reuse and reanalyze. The purpose of this research is to investigate the situation of Iranian Basic Science researchers in sharing and reusing research data.

In terms of purpose, this research was applied and carried out with a quantitative approach and in a survey way. The research community was formed by researchers in the field of Basic Sciences who had articles in the Web of Science database in 2021. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire designed electronically based on the relevant literature. Sample society consisted of 309 Basic Science researchers participated in this study. SPSS software was used to analyze the data.

The results showed that more than 64 percent of researchers do not have the experience of sharing research data. Individual, cultural and behavioral, legal, and political factors affecting the sharing of research data are in a favorable situation, but organizational and technical factors are in an unfavorable situation. No difference was observed between individual, technical, cultural and political, organizational, legal and political factors with the demographic variables of the research, except in some cases in the gender variable. The researchers of this field are familiar with this concept to a great extent and a positive attitude of this concept has been formed in their minds and they have developed a desire to do it if the conditions are available. However, technically, organizationally, and structurally, the conditions are not yet available. The relevant laws, regulations and instructions have not been prepared, material and spiritual stimuli have not been created in the relevant organizations and institutions, and the hardware and software technical infrastructures and required standards have not been provided.

Despite the fact that there is a positive attitude among Basic Science researchers for sharing and reusing research data, it is not technically and organizationally possible to realize it; Therefore, formal and informal working groups should be created among researchers and they should work in the field of raising awareness about sharing research data and related matters, educational campaigns should be created in order to create a culture of data sharing in scientific and academic centers, conferences and awareness sessions on the benefits of sharing research data and requirements for its implementation should be held for managers and related officials in scientific and research centers of the country, necessary hardware and software technical infrastructures should be created in scientific databases and organizational repositories to facilitate storage and long-term protection of data, how to use the existing systems to share research data with various methods and continuously should be taught, the rules and regulations of sharing research data as well as their reuse should be formulated in compliance with research ethics, and various material incentives should be considered for researchers who share their research data.