FAIR review

Data Sharing Collections (DSCs) serve to make valuable data available to the scientific community and general public to allow reuse of those data. In practice, however, many publicly shared data collections have not been described well enough to allow potential data users to understand them. Furthermore, many datasets contain files in inaccessible or unsustainable file formats. During FAIR review, a FAIR reviewer (an RDM expert of the university library's RDM support team) will provide feedback on how to make your data collection more FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). This includes advise on how well your collection is documented, whether its files are stored in accessible and sustainable file formats, and to the extent possible whether no personal data are shared that should remain private. The FAIR review step thereby helps you to increase the impact of your research and helps to protect the privacy of your research participants. The collection manager remains responsible for the legal and ethical implications of sharing research data as well as the correctness of the published (meta)data.

What will be reviewed during FAIR review?

The FAIR review process provides advise on the following:

Metadata

  • The title adequately describes your data collection

  • The description of the collection is sufficiently elaborate

  • The keywords are logical

Personal data

  • To the extent possible, FAIR reviewers check if the data and metadata do not contain personal data that should not be publicly shared. Not all data files will be checked: files will be selected at random for inspection

Documentation

  • The collection contains documentation files

  • The content of the documentation files is understandable

  • The names of files and file folders are logical and if the structure is complicated, it is explained in documentation files

Accessibility

  • The files are stored in a preferred file format or there is a good reason to use a non-preferred format

  • The chosen access level of the DSC is in line with Radboud University's policy to share research data as open as possible

  • If applicable: the chosen embargo date is logical

How much time will it take to perform FAIR review?

The FAIR reviewer aims to provide feedback on your collection within five business days after you submitted the collection for FAIR review. The reviewer can suggest some improvements. Applying these changes in consultation with the reviewer might also require a bit of your time. The better you prepare your collection before submitting your collection for FAIR review, the less time the FAIR review process will take. Read and apply the tips below and on our best practice pages to assure a smooth and relatively quick FAIR review.

The changes you apply to your collection after FAIR review will be reviewed again by the FAIR reviewer. They only review the changes you made with respect to your previous submission. The second review therefore usually takes less time than the first.

If you have a deadline to submit your manuscript or to publicly share your research data, make sure to submit your collection for FAIR review at least two weeks prior to that deadline.

How to prepare a collection for FAIR review?

Preparing you collection properly before submitting it for FAIR review will save you time during the review process. You can find extensive information on best practices for managing your research data in our online help. Pay particular attention to our recommendations on data documentation and metadata, data organisation, preferred file formats, and making your research data FAIR. Furthermore, make sure that your collection does not contain any personal data that should not be publicly shared.

In short, make sure that you:

  • Fill out the Description metadata field in such a manner that the collection's content is understandable to a broad audience

  • Use a descriptive title

  • Use appropriate keywords

  • Add sufficient documentation files to make your collection's content understandable to anyone without further explanations from you

  • Use a logical folder structure and consistent and clear names for your files and folders

  • Check for and -if possible- remove data that could provide identifying information about your research participants

  • Store your files in a preferred file format whenever possible

How does FAIR review work?

FAIR review is part of the publication workflow for DSCs. Simply follow our instructions on publishing a DSC. Once you switch the status of your DSC to FAIR review, FAIR reviewer will receive a notification of your submission. They will contact you within five business days with detailed instructions. The result will be:

  1. The FAIR reviewer does not request changes to your collection. In this case, they switch the status of your collection to external review and you can continue to publish your collection

  2. The FAIR reviewer advises changes to your collection. In this case, they switch the status of your collection to editable and you will receive their feedback. In consultation with the reviewer, edit your collection and submit it for FAIR review again