Do Scientists Reuse Open Data? – Sage Bionetworks

"Briefly, these are my recommendations for those of you who are engaging in open data/data sharing efforts for the purpose of reuse:

• First, no matter what data you collect, keep in mind that reuse is only one reason for data sharing. Data should be released for transparency as much as for reuse.
• Give up on the idea that all the data you are collecting, curating, and releasing will be widely reused. Some will, some will not, and some will but in unexpected ways.
• If you truly want to maximize reuse, first assess potential for reuse, then start data collection. Open datasets can be reused in many ways, by different sets of users. What can your data be reused for and by whom?
• Hire or consult with data curators who understand the curation needs of your potential users, and (equally important) their science workflows, agendas, and interests.
• Do not try to curate the data “for the entire world.” First, focus on the needs of your immediate users.
• Facilitate the formation of a community of practice around your data. Once you have identified potential users, bring them together by promoting community norms, encouraging collaboration, and adopting ad hoc curation practices. But, remember that communities of practice are not built out of the blue. Potential users should share a pre-existing interest in a kind of data, or in a specific method, sub-discipline, process, etc.
• Once you have identified which datasets might be reused for which goals, you can assign different levels of curation and access, accordingly.
• Encourage collaboration (and co-authorship) between data creators, data curators, and data re-users...."