CTION RESEARCH IN BIODIVERSITY DATA MANAGEMENT AND SHARING

Abstract

Research data are essential inputs for the generation of new knowledge and must be produced in a way that allows them to be found, accessed, interoperated, and reused. However, the vast majority of data generated by scientific research remains stored on laboratory devices or on researchers' own equipment, without undergoing adequate curation processes or being made available in repositories — a phenomenon known as the long tail of scientific research. In this context, the objective of this investigation is to develop and implement a participatory process for publishing research data in an institutional repository alongside a community of biodiversity researchers, through data management literacy actions that address the demands identified within the community itself. The research is qualitative in nature, employing action research as its method, which is par excellence suited to problems involving demands shared by a collective. The research group comprised approximately sixty researchers affiliated with higher education institutions in the state of Paraíba, working in the field of biodiversity. The literacy actions carried out included workshops for the development of data management plans, meetings to discuss metadata standards, sessions for familiarization with the institutional repository, and training in data processing and visualization. As a result, forty-one datasets were deposited in the institutional repository, demonstrating that the collaborative engagement of the community was decisive for the success of the process. It is concluded that the participatory approach inherent to action research proved pertinent for addressing the community's demands.