How to make my dataset Findable?

Use Case Overview

As a researcher, you may need to make your dataset Findable and Accessible because of funder or institutional requirements.

Examples

I need to comply with my UMC's FAIR data policy and make my dataset available in the National Health Data Catalogue.

Complexity

Medium

Key Experts

Data Steward

Outcome

Findable Dataset

Your Journey

Define your objectives

You've defined the objectives you want to achieve.

You've identified your goal: making your dataset findable in the National Health Data Catalogue to comply with your organization's data policy. Having clear objectives helps you stay focused on what matters most.

Examples

Researcher at University Medical Center

My FAIR Objectives are: make my data Findable and Accessible in the National Health Data Catalogue metadata catalogue

Guidance steps

Define FAIRification objectives Define clear, project-specific FAIRification objectives by aligning requirements, assessing impact and planning the resources and steps needed to make their data FAIR. View step details

Connect with a data steward

You've connected with someone who can guide you through the process.

You've reached out to your institutional data steward who will support you throughout this journey. Having expert guidance makes the process much smoother and helps you avoid common pitfalls.

Examples

Researcher at University Medical Center

I contact my institutional data stewards for support on how to make the dataset Findable and Accessible in the National Health Data Catalogue.

Guidance steps

Have a FAIR data steward on board Understand why a FAIR data steward is needed and how to identify, position and support this role to guide FAIR data management throughout a project. View step details

Assess availability of your metadata

Take stock of what information you already have.

Now you need to inventory the metadata you already have about your dataset. Things like title, description, and keywords, and identify what's still missing. This assessment helps you understand the work ahead.

Examples

Researcher at University Medical Center

I check, together with my institutional data steward, what metadata is available as well as its quality.

Guidance steps

Assess availability of your metadata Identify, evaluate and improve the completeness and quality of their metadata to ensure it is accurate, consistent and ready for reuse and publication. View step details

Define access conditions

Define the access conditions for the data.

Next, define and document the conditions under which data can be accessed and reused, including access levels, policies, licences and agreements, ensuring compliance with legal, ethical and FAIR requirements.

Examples

Researcher at University Medical Center

The data will be available under Open Access conditions with my institution's default license. This is specified in the metadata.

Guidance steps

Define access conditions Define and document the conditions under which data can be accessed and reused, including access levels, policies, licences and agreements, ensuring compliance with legal, ethical and FAIR requirements. View step details

Register resource level metadata

Align the available metadata with the with the repository's requirements.

Align the metadata according to the repository / catalogue's requirements. Depending on the repository, you may be able to register the metadata manually. In case of the National Health Data Catalogue metadata is initially published to a local FDP.

Examples

Researcher at University Medical Center

I ensures all necessary metadata fields necessary for the HRI catalogue are filled. This metadata will be registered in the local FDP as part of the next step.

Guidance steps

Register resource level metadata Make their resources findable by selecting appropriate metadata catalogues and registering consistent, well-defined resource-level metadata. View step details

Ensure publication service availability Platform specific

Ensure there is a service (such as a FAIR Data Point) available to publish your metadata to a catalogue.

Examples

Researcher at University Medical Center

I check with my data steward that there is a local FDP available that uses the Health-RI Core Metadata schema, which is required for publishing to the National Health Data Catalogue.

Guidance steps

Apply (meta)data model Understand the role of metadata and data models in FAIRification and points to tools that can be used to apply them in practice. View step details

Publish the mapped metadata and data Platform specific

Transform mapped data and metadata into machine-readable formats such as RDF and publish them via platforms (e.g., FAIR Data Point), making them discoverable, accessible and interoperable under defined access conditions.

Examples

Researcher at University Medical Center

I give the metadata to the data steward who makes the data available in the FDP.

Guidance steps

Transform and expose FAIR (meta)data Transform mapped data and metadata into machine-readable formats such as RDF and publish them via platforms like FAIR Data Points, making them discoverable, accessible and interoperable under defined access conditions. View step details

🎯

Your metadata is now Findable in a catalogue

Success! Your dataset can now be discovered by others.

Congratulations! Your dataset is now registered and findable in the catalog. Researchers looking for data like yours can now discover it and understand what you have available, opening doors for potential collaborations and data reuse.

Examples

Researcher at University Medical Center

I made the metadata available in the local FAIR Data Point and therefore Findable in the National Health Data Catalogue.