The role of data-reuse experience in biological scientists’ data sharing: an empirical analysis
| Date | 05 February 2020 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-06-2019-0146 |
| Pages | 186-208 |
| Published date | 05 February 2020 |
| Author | Ayoung Yoon,Youngseek Kim |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
The role of data-reuse experience
in biological scientists’data
sharing: an empirical analysis
Ayoung Yoon
Department of Library and Information Science, School of Informatics and Computing,
Indiana University –Purdue University Indianapolis,
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, and
Youngseek Kim
Department of Library and Information Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul,
Republic of Korea
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to investigate how scientists’prior data-reuse experience affects
their data-sharingintention by updating diverse attitudinal,control and normative beliefs about data sharing.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper used a survey method and the research model was
evaluated by applyingstructural equation modelling to 476 surveyresponses from biological scientists in the
USA.
Findings –The results show that prior data-reuse experience significantly increases the perceived
community and career benefits and subjective norms of data sharing and significantly decreases the
perceivedrisk and effort involved in data sharing. The perceived community benefitsand subjective norms of
data sharing positively influence scientists’data-sharing intention, whereas the perceived risk and effort
negativelyinfluence scientists’data-sharingintention.
Research limitations/implications –Based on the theory of planned behaviour, the research model
was developed by connecting scientists’prior data-reuse experience and data-sharing intention mediated
through diverseattitudinal, control and normativeperceptions of data sharing.
Practical implications –This research suggests that to facilitate scientists’data-sharing behaviours,
data reuse needs to be encouraged.Data sharing and reuse are interconnected, so scientists’data sharingcan
be better promotedby providing them with data-reuseexperience.
Originality/value –This is one of the initial studies examining the relationship between data-reuse
experience and data-sharing behaviour, and it considered the following mediating factors: perceived
community benefit, career benefit, career risk, effort and subjective norm of data sharing. This research
provides an advanced investigationof data-sharing behaviour in the relationshipwith data-reuse experience
and suggestssignificant implications for fostering data-sharingbehaviour.
Keywords Data-reuse experience, Data sharing, Community benefit, Theory of planned behaviour,
Biological sciences
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The topic of data sharing has received substantial attention in recent years because
concerns about data sharing firstarose in the 1980s, if not earlier (Ceci, 1988). The history of
The authors would like to acknowledge the ProQuest Pivot for allowing them to use its Community
of Scientists (CoS) Scholar Database in recruiting the survey participants.
EL
38,1
186
Received23 June 2019
Revised16 November 2019
Accepted28 December 2019
TheElectronic Library
Vol.38 No. 1, 2020
pp. 186-208
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-06-2019-0146
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0264-0473.htm
data sharing goes back to1985, with publication of the report Sharing ResearchData by the
Committee on National Statistics (Hedrick, 1988). The report argued for the need to foster
data-sharing behavioursand gave a set of recommendations. At that time, data sharingwas
generally believed to occur through peer-to-peer exchange, but the concept has been
expanded through ongoing discussions. During the 1990s and 2000s, many reports
(Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD), 2009;
National Research Council (NRC),1997, 2000, 2009, 2012;National Science Board (NSB),
2005) demonstrated the continuing and increasing importance of data and knowledge
sharing within the academicand scientific communities.
Despite the long history of data-sharing concerns and recent arguments favouring data
sharing (Borgman,2007, 2012;Piwowar et al.,2007;Tenopir et al., 2011,2015), several
studies have found that actual data-sharing rates remain low (Blumenthal et al.,2006;
Borgman, 2012;Fry et al., 2009;Milia et al., 2012;Tenopir et al., 2011). Moreover, data and
knowledge-sharing behaviours often take place as a privileged practice among trusted
colleagues based on mutual interests and respect (Kaye et al., 2009). Although the value of
data sharing has been well expressed and acknowledged, the gap between recognised value
and sharing practices demonstrates the complexity of data sharing and the associated
technical, social,financial and legal factors.
Among these many factors influencing data-sharing practices, it is worth further
investigating those associated with researchers’data-sharing behaviours at the individual
level. Although mandatesfrom funding agencies (e.g. National Science Foundation, National
Institute of Health), governments, journals and institutions can influence and enforce data
sharing, the practice remains researchers’personal decision (Savage and Vickers, 2009;
Vickers, 2006), evenmore so in the many fields without strong mandates or requirements for
data sharing. Investigating data-sharing behaviours at the individual level is more complex
than examining behaviours bound by institutional guidelines and policies (Kim and Nah,
2018).
This study uses the theory of planned behaviour(TPB), proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen
(1975), to examine the factors influencing researchers’data-sharing behaviours at an
individual level. The TPB is known to be useful for examining individuals’behaviours
based on several constructs, such as subjective norms, perceived behavioural controls and
attitudes towards behaviours.Several studies have applied the TPB to examine researchers’
data sharing and reuse behaviours in different contexts (Yoon and Kim, 2017). This study
explores how data-reuse experience influences sharing behaviours by looking at
researchers’attitudinal, control and normative beliefs about this behaviour. Although
previous studies have discussed individual factors that hinder or promote data sharing
(Campbell et al.,2002;Tenopir et al.,2015;Wallis et al.,2013;Wolkovich et al.,2012), only a
few have addressed the relationship between data reuse and data sharing (Kim and Nah,
2018;Piwowar, 2011).
Many researchers have argued that data-sharing practices are highly discipline specific
(Eschenfelder and Johnson, 2014;Tenopir et al.,2015), so this study investigates the data
sharing and reuse behaviours of only researchers in the biological sciences. These fields
have a long history of encouraging data sharing, which is critically important due to the
nature of biological research (Gardner et al.,2003;Koslow, 2000). However, there are large
variations in data-sharing practices within the subdomains of the biological sciences
(Rodriguez, 2009;Tenopir et al.,2015). Focusing on the biological sciences thus enables
investigating the diverse perspectives of researchers based on their experiences within a
specific disciplinarycontext.
Role of data-
reuse
experience
187
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