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Researcher Skills Toolkit

Access, reuse and cite

Access, reuse and cite

 

Data available in repositories can be re-used by other researchers, to either validate the findings of the research, or to create new insights using the original data.

Research data may also be used to develop new policies or services. 

Consider the following points when using data openly sourced from data repositories and other sites:

  • Think about the reliability of the data repository or site. Does the site offer peer review? Is the site attached to a recognised publisher, agency, research institute or organisation? Is the site one that other researchers within your discipline use or are aware of?
  • Review the data prior to use. Clean-up may be required
  • Ensure that you attribute the source data
  • As open data can be redistributed it is important to exercise good judgement, ensuring that the data’s provenance is established.
More information

This article includes tips for researchers to follow to discover data that meets their needs.

Gregory, K, Khalsa, S J, Michener, W K, Psomopoulos, F E, de Waard, A, Wu, M (2018). Eleven quick tips for finding research data. PLoS Computational Biology 14(4): e1006038. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006038  

It may be necessary to search across a range of resources to locate suitable research data.

Type of directory

Examples
Subject or discipline-based repositories
Institutional repositories
Government websites
  • Data.gov.au. Central source of Australian open government data. Access to anonymised public data published by federal, state and local government agencies
  • WHO data collections (World Health Organization). 
Data directories
  • Re3data.org. Registry of research data repositories - browse by subject, content type (eg. images, raw data, source code), or country
  • Research Data Australia. Find, access and re-use data from over 100 Australian research organisaitons, government agencies and cultural institutions. Check the University of Newcastle research page for links to data records.
Data portals
Data journals

Data access statements are included in published literature to indicate the existence of data.

  • For open data, this statement should say what is available from which repository, and provide a URL, identifier, or accession code to assist with access
  • For restricted data, the statement should indicate the legal or ethical reason for the restriction, and provide a link to a permanent record or statement explaining the conditions of access.


Examples of data access statements

Check the data access statements included in the following journal articles.

Bezuidenhout, L., et al. (2022). Telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden: a survey of use and perceptions among physiotherapists treating people with neurological diseases or older adults. BMC Health Services Research 22, 555. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07968-6

Guillaumier A, et al. (2022) Evaluation of an online intervention for improving stroke survivors’ health-related quality of life: A randomised controlled trial. PLOS Medicine 19(4): e1003966. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003966

Shaw Julia C., Dyson Rebecca M., Palliser Hannah K., Sixtus Ryan P., Barnes Heather, Pavy Carlton L., Crombie Gabrielle K., Berry Mary J. (2022). Examining neurosteroid-analogue therapy in the preterm neonate for promoting hippocampal neurodevelopment. Frontiers in Physiology 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.871265

Yarmolinsky J, et al. (2022) Genetically proxied therapeutic inhibition of antihypertensive drug targets and risk of common cancers: A mendelian randomization analysis. PLOS Medicine 19(2): e1003897. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003897

It is important to correctly cite data used in your research to ensure that the dataset is acknowledged, findable, and accessible.

Standards for data citation vary across disciplines. Some data repositories and archives provide formats for citing data as part of the metadata record for the dataset.

The Data Cite Consortium (DCC) provides the following recommendations for minimum formatting for citing data:

  • Creator of the dataset (may be different from the authors of the publication)
  • Publication Year
  • Title
  • Resource Type – for example ‘dataset’ or ‘database’
  • Identifier – can be a URL, handle or DOI


Examples of citations to datasets

Hanigan, I. (2022). Primary outcomes data from a randomised controlled trial testing the effect of an online healthy lifestyles program on health-related quality of life among stroke survivors. (Dataset) http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1431114

Isbister, G. (2022). Longterm effects perceived by patients following a snakebite in rural Sri Lanka - non-renal. (Dataset) http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1433597

Netherton, M. D., Stewart, M. G. (2014). Blast-RF: A probabilistic blast modelling and glazing response tool. (Software) http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1056446

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