Where, when, and how FAIR do data from aquatic mesocosm experiments get published?

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecology
• Data Science

Background:

• Aquatic mesocosm facilities are crucial for ecological research.
• Data publication practices are essential for transparency and reproducibility.
• Evaluating adherence to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles is important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze data publication patterns from EU aquatic mesocosm projects.
• To determine the time lag between experiments and data/paper publication.
• To assess the adherence of scientific papers to FAIR data principles.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 192 publications from two EU projects.
• Categorization of data publications (with papers vs. alone in repositories).
• Calculation of time lags from experiment end to publication.
• Evaluation of FAIR principles adherence in scientific papers.

Main Results:

• 103 data sets were published with scientific papers; 17 were published in repositories alone.
• Time lag to paper publication (34.9 months) was not significantly different from data publication (36.7 months).
• 32.6% of papers achieved high FAIR scores (7 or 8), indicating good data transparency.

Conclusions:

• Increased support and recognition for researchers are recommended to improve data publications.
• Journals, repositories, and funders should enhance efforts for better data sharing.
• Interoperability support is crucial for advancing data publication practices in aquatic mesocosm research.