Data management matters

Abstract

There are a number of issues that inhibit the replication and reproduction of research, and make it hard to utilise existing scientific data to make new discoveries. These include poor data management, competing standards, a lack of consideration of the usability of data, and a disconnect between the publication of science and the data and methods behind it. In this paper, we examine the benefits of good data management for not only ensuring that data are well organised, easy to find, and preserved for the future, but also for facilitating reproducibility and new discoveries in science. We consider the importance of documenting data and making them usable by both humans and machines, and consider the development of tools to support these processes in the future.