THE FINDABILITY OF INFORMATION IN DATA REPOSITORIES: AN ANALYSIS OF DATAONE

Abstract

Introduction: The importance of the dissemination of research data has been
 increasingly debated by the scientific community in the context of Open Science,
 mainly to maximize the use and reuse of data from scientific research. Data
 Repositories aim at the storage, organization, dissemination, retrieval and preservation
 of research data, enhancing communication and scientific collaboration. Studies in the
 field of Information Science, especially Information Findability, bring significant
 contributions to the design and implementation of Data Repositories. Objectives: to
 analyze the DataONE data repository from the viewpoint of Information Findability.
 Methodology: the observation technique was used with the support of the evaluation
 tool checklist, which allows the analysis of informational environments from the
 attributes of Information Findability. Results: positive aspects include the use of
 specific metadata standards for the Earth Science community, the Ecological Metadata
 Language (EML), and the attribute of Responsiveness. As a negative aspect, we can
 notice the lack of Digital Accessibility resources. Conclusion: it is concluded that, in
 general, DataONE contemplates the main attributes of Information Findability, which
 facilitates the interaction and findability of data and information by informational
 subjects.