Thoughts on improving research data capture through better integration of e-notebooks and data repositories. Delivered at EUNIS 2018

1. Improving RDM through closer integration
of electronic lab notebooks and data
repositories
EUNIS 2018
Christopher Brown and Rachel Bruce, Jisc
Rory Macneil, Research Space
Nigel Goddard, the University of Edinburgh
6 June, 2018

2. Overview
❖ Focus on getting data out of repositories overlooks
constraints on getting data in
❖ Electronic notebooks emerging as an important vehicle for
organising active data
❖ ELN  repository data flow is still clunky
❖ The future:
➢ ‘Connected’ ELNs
➢ Tighter ELN  repository integration
❖ Jisc Research Data Shared Service
➢ Current Scope
➢ Plans to include ELNs

3. Current
repository
rrent repository focus and limitatio
Manipulate
Access
? Query
Other
repository
Interoperate
Data Deposit
Barriers to use
• Hard work to
prepare deposit
• No support for
tools already in
use e.g., ELN

4. The emergence of ELNs as a
key active data research tool
❖ELNs
➢ For life sciences and related areas
➢ For active research phase: organisation of data
➢ But often just another data silo!
❖ Connected ELNs
➢ For data from other sources, e.g., microscope
➢ During active research: import and link
➢ Streamlined export to repositories

5. RSpace: the first Connected ELN

6. Benefits of integrated ELN 
repository workflow
❖Limits need to reorganize data for deposit
➢ Saves time and effort for researchers
➢ Increases interest in depositing data
➢ Increases amount of data entering repositories
❖ELNs as a tool for data curation
➢ Platform for data curators and researchers to work
together on data curation
➢ Data already organised, freeing data curators to work
on higher level curation
❖Additional benefits with Connected ELN
➢ Include data from other tools and resources in deposits
➢ Direct deposit from within ELN to repository

7. Developments Needed
❖Conceptual
➢ Recognition of the benefits of
➢Connected ELNs as data organising tools
➢Enhanced ELN  repository workflow
❖ Practical
➢ Development of Repository APIs
➢ for highly organised, heterogeneous data
➢ ingestion, query, export

8. Why a Research Data Shared
Service
❖ There is no single “solution” easily available that meets
requirements for universities to enable better management of
research data
➢ Managed research data shared service
➢ Repository, preservation, reporting and interoperability
components
➢ Help institutions meet funder policy compliance
➢ Enables reuse of research data for better research
➢ Enables good practices in research data management
➢ Allows for financial and resource efficiencies
➢ Allows researchers to easily publish, archive and
preserve their research outputs

9. Overview of Jisc Research
Data Shared Service
Jisc Research Data Shared Service
Capture
& reuse
Preserve Report
Cost-effective improvement in research data access and reuse
• Deposit
• Describe
• Store
• Publish
• Assure Integrity
• Normalise
• Transform
• Curate
• Flag at-risk data
• RDM planning
• Costs
• Service performance
• Audit trails
• Compliance and
benchmarking
API’s and Member
Dashboards
Secure managed storage
Shared standards-based technology framework
3rd party
tools
Integration
with local
systems
OpenStandardInterfaces
(APIs)
Advice & best practice
• Research data management toolkit and network
Research data
• Secure outputs
• Accelerate
research
• Grow reusable
data value
• Managed storage
included
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/rd/projects/research-data-shared-service

10. RDSS Framework
Jisc
beta repository
Jisc provided
preservation
Jisc reporting
Full reporting
capabilities
or
APIs available
Core RDSS
offering
Fully accredited infrastructure, technical underpinning and interoperability with UK Data centre cloud hosting for
your data by Jisc
Bronze,
Silver
or Gold
data storage
packages
available
Jisc
research
systems
framework
repositories
Jisc
research
systems
framework
preservation
Jisc
research
systems
framework
CRIS
Available
framework
options

11. Next Generation Research
Environment
❖ Recommendations and actions - http://bit.ly/NGRE_recs
❖Promote the adoption of concepts, standards and identifiers
that are beneficial to Jisc members.
❖Ensure Jisc services are developed in such a way that they
can be integrated or accessed via APIs and standard
interfaces as much as possible.
❖Investigate work required in the RDSS for closer integration
between active and archival research data, and for integrating
research data and research administrative data

12. Research Tools in an Open
Science Service
❖ Framework
➢ Procurement framework for ELNs (including assessing
current tools and level of demand)
❖ Exploratory
➢ Explore interoperability between ELNs, repositories and
Current Research Information Systems (CRIS) using open
standards
❖Integration
➢ Technical integration of ELNs within the RDSS