Project StORe: Social Science report
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Date
08/2006Author
Burton, Guy
Metadata
Abstract
There was widespread support across the social science research community regarding the
aims of the StORe Project
Nearly half of social science respondents claimed that both source-to-output and out-put-to source
repositories would offer a ‘significant advantage to my work’; a third in both cases
claimed it would be ‘useful but not of major significance’
Postgraduate students were generally more enthusiastic about source-to-output and
output-to-source repositories than academic staff
Academic staff suggested the StORe Project aims would benefit postgraduate students
more than themselves; they anticipated StORe as a training tool.
Researchers reported limitations in access, completeness of data, navigability of data and
concern with deposited research in repositories as their main concerns
Researchers generally supported sharing of research in principle, but also admitted a
sense of ownership of their own research data and work (producer-consumer distinctions)
Researchers work in a relatively independent and ‘organic’ fashion; they use different
search techniques and consult as widely as possible to find the information and material
they want
Researchers tend to produce and store their data in an idiosyncratic fashion, assigning their
own metadata to their work
Few researchers deposit data in source repositories
Researchers that deposit data in source repositories do not show substantial differences to
the wider research community in terms of metadata assignation or controlling access to
their work
Researchers appear to share their work in a personal manner, based on direct requests
and based on merit