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Exploring Determinants of Longevity of Biomedical Databases
Joseph Finkelstein1, Jennifer Guarino1, Xingyue Huo1
1Center for Biomedical and Population Health Informatics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
|June 8, 2022
Summary
Maintaining biomedical databases is crucial for research. Databases with more citations and from highly productive institutions are more likely to remain accessible long-term.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Informatics
- Data Science
- Scientific Publishing
Background:
- Biomedical databases are essential resources for scientific research.
- Ensuring the long-term sustainability and accessibility of these databases is critical.
- Understanding factors influencing database longevity is important for data curation and preservation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the determinants of long-term accessibility for biomedical databases.
- To identify characteristics associated with the sustained availability of biological databases.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 518 biological databases published in the Database journal (2009-2016).
- Stratified analysis based on database accessibility status in 2020.
- Correlation of accessibility with citation counts, institutional scientific output, and researcher h-index.
Main Results:
- 35% of the analyzed biomedical databases were inaccessible by 2020.
- Databases with higher citation counts were significantly more likely to be accessible.
- Databases associated with institutions demonstrating higher scientific output showed greater longevity.
- Databases from researchers with a higher h-index were more likely to remain accessible.
Conclusions:
- Biomedical database accessibility is a significant challenge, with a substantial proportion becoming unavailable.
- Higher citation impact and strong institutional backing are key indicators of database longevity.
- Further research is needed to pinpoint factors ensuring the long-term survival of high-impact biomedical databases.
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