Data sharing attitudes and practices of researchers in Korean government research institutes: a survey-based descriptive study

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored to what extent and how researchers in five Korean government research institutes that implement research data management practices share their research data and investigated the challenges they perceive regarding data sharing.Methods: The study collected survey data from 224 respondents by posting a link to a SurveyMonkey questionnaire on the homepage of each of the five research institutes from June 15 to 29, 2022. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted.Results: Among 148 respondents with data sharing experience, the majority had shared some or most of their data. Restricted data sharing within a project was more common than sharing data with outside researchers on request or making data publicly available. Sharing data directly with researchers who asked was the most common method of data sharing, while sharing data via institutional repositories was the second most common method. The most frequently cited factors impeding data sharing included the time and effort required to organize data, concerns about copyright or ownership of data, lack of recognition and reward, and concerns about data containing sensitive information.Conclusion: Researchers need ongoing training and support on making decisions about access to data, which are nuanced rather than binary. Research institutes’ commitment to developing and maintaining institutional data repositories is also important to facilitate data sharing. To address barriers to data sharing, it is necessary to implement research data management services that help reduce effort and mitigate concerns about legal issues. Possible incentives for researchers who share data should also continue to be explored.

Data sharing and data governance in sub-Saharan Africa: Perspectives from researchers and scientists engaged in data-intensive research

“…This stance is driven by privacy or intellectual property concerns, the historical misuse of data, and concerns of being scooped. [20][21][22] Kim et al 23 conducted a survey-based descriptive study on the data-sharing attitudes and practices of researchers in Korean government research institutes. From their work, the most common reasons for withholding data included time-and effort-intensive requirements to organise data, followed by concerns about data ownership and lack of reward or recognition for data sharing.…”

“…From their work, the most common reasons for withholding data included time-and effort-intensive requirements to organise data, followed by concerns about data ownership and lack of reward or recognition for data sharing. 23 Additionally, Kim et al 23 found that respondents had concerns about sharing data that contained sensitive information or where there were potential errors within the data. The degree to which scientists or researchers share or withhold data is not solely a personal choice, as institutional and national factors greatly impact data sharing.…”