Bridging the Data Discovery Gap: User-Centric Recommendations for Research Data Repositories

Data Science Journal, vol. 25

Abstract

Despite substantial investment in research data infrastructure, data discovery remains a fundamental challenge in the era of open science. The proliferation of repositories and the rapid growth of deposited data have not resulted in a corresponding improvement in data findability. Researchers continue to struggle to find data that are relevant to their work, revealing a persistent gap between data availability and data discoverability. Without rich, high-quality metadata, robust and user-centred data discovery systems, and a deeper understanding of how different researchers seek and evaluate data, much of the potential value of open data remains unrealised. This paper presents a set of practical, evidence-based recommendations for data repositories and discovery service providers aimed at improving data discoverability for both human and machine users. These recommendations emphasise the importance of 1) understanding the search needs and contexts of data users, 2) addressing the roles that data repositories play in enhancing metadata quality to meet users’ data search needs, and 3) designing discovery interfaces that support effective and diverse search behaviours. By bridging the gap between data curation practices, discovery system design, and user-centred approaches, this paper argues for a more integrated and strategic approach to data discovery.

Authors 15

1. Mingfang Wu corresponding

   Australian Research Data Commons

   Affiliation as printed

   Australian Research Data Commons

2. Felicitas Löffler

   Thüringer Ministerium für Digitales und Infrastruktur

   Affiliation as printed

   Thuringian Ministry for Digitization and Infrastructure

3. Brigitte Mathiak

   GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   GESIS – Leibniz institute for the Social Sciences

4. Fotis Psomopoulos

   Centre for Research and Technology Hellas

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki

5. Uwe Georg Schindler

   University of Bremen

   Affiliation as printed

   PANGAEA, MARUM, University of Bremen

6. Amir Aryan

   Swinburne University of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Swinburne University

7. Jordi Bodera Sempere

   European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

   Affiliation as printed

   European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

8. Antica Čulina

   Ruđer Bošković Institute

   Affiliation as printed

   Ruder Boskovic Institute

9. Andreas Czerniak

   Bielefeld University · Bielefeld University Library

   Affiliation as printed

   Library, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld

10. Christopher C. Erdmann

    Science for Life Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    SciLifeLab

11. Kathleen Gregory Aachen

    Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden University

12. Nick Juty

    University of Manchester

    Affiliation as printed

    The University of Manchester

13. Allyson Lister

    University of Oxford

    Affiliation as printed

    Oxford e-Research Centre, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford

14. Ying‐Hsang Liu

    Chemnitz University of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Chemnitz University of Technology

15. Samantha Kanza

    University of Southampton

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Southampton