One-Pager Ideas for a Data Help Desk

A data help desk is looking to point to any one-pagers that might help researchers with finding, managing, visualizing, analyzing, publishing, or citing data or software. Remember the goal of this event is to help researchers learn about skills and techniques that will help them further their research and make their data and software open and FAIR. The desk is also happy to share resources that you have already made (even if they are longer than 1 page) as long as they are within scope.

Here are some topics that have been used or suggested for one-pagers at data help desks:

  1. Finding Data: One-pagers on this topic aim to help researchers discover relevant datasets for their work. They might cover tools, platforms, and strategies for searching data repositories and other data sources. These resources could guide users on where to look for specific types of Earth science data.
  2. Managing Data: These one-pagers provide guidance on best practices for organizing, documenting, and working with research data throughout its lifecycle. They can address topics like data organization, naming conventions, and general data management techniques.
  3. Visualizing Data: Resources in this area focus on techniques and tools for effectively displaying research data. They might highlight specific software or methods for creating insightful visualizations.
  4. Analyzing Data: One-pagers on data analysis can introduce researchers to different analytical approaches and software relevant to their domain. They might touch upon statistical tools or programming languages used for data analysis.
  5. Publishing Data: These resources explain the process of making research data publicly available. They often cover where and how to publish data to meet funder and publisher requirements.
  6. Citing Data and Software: A crucial topic, these one-pagers guide researchers on how to properly cite datasets and software in their publications. They might include examples of data citations and emphasize the importance of persistent identifiers like DOIs.
  7. Data Repositories: One-pagers focused on data repositories provide information about where researchers can deposit their data. They may detail types of data accepted, restrictions, metadata standards, submission procedures, costs, and contact information for specific repositories like USAP-DC or the Research Data Archive at NCAR.
  8. FAIR Data Principles: These resources explain the principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data. They help researchers understand what makes data FAIR and how to implement these principles in their work.
  9. Data Management Plans (DMPs): One-pagers on DMPs guide researchers through the process of creating effective data management plans, often required by funders.
  10. Specific Data Platforms and Tools: Some one-pagers highlight specific resources like OpenAQ for air quality data, EarthCube resources for FAIR implementation, BCO-DMO for oceanographic data, and SeedMeLab as a scientific data management platform. Others might focus on tools like NCEI Data Tools.
  11. Citing Physical Samples: Resources like the “4 Steps to Publish Open Earth Science Samples AGU 2023” act as one-pagers to guide researchers on how to describe and reference physical samples using identifiers like IGSN IDs to enhance data reuse and reproducibility.