The ELIXIR Research Data Management (RDM) Community has published a guide to the most common user journeys in the ELIXIR research data management ecosystem. The guide is based on seven ELIXIR resources and also answers the most frequently asked questions faced by data stewards in the life science community. Created as part of the RDM Community implementation study, the user journeys are also available on the RDM guidelines page of the ELIXIR website.
Effective RDM is essential to ensure that data generated through life science research is well-organised, accessible, reusable and preserved over the long term. Good RDM practices enable researchers to meet the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), comply with funder and journal requirements, and collaborate across disciplines and borders.
Within the ELIXIR ecosystem, many RDM resources support the responsible handling of data throughout its lifecycle, however it is not always clear how these resources fit together.
The user journeys demonstrate how the seven ELIXIR resources - the BioImage Archive, RDMkit, bio.tools, DSW, the FAIR Cookbook, FAIRsharing and TeSS - collaboratively address the diverse needs of distinct user groups. In compiling the guide, the perspectives of multiple users were taken into account, including trainers, researchers, data stewards, principal investigators, policymakers and research software engineers. The FAQ was built from real questions gathered from users across different ELIXIR Nodes.
The materials were developed through a series of workshops, starting with a project at the 2022 ELIXIR Biohackathon, and followed by workshops at the 2023 and 2024 ELIXIR All Hands Meetings and several stand-alone workshops. The initiative was a collaboration between 19 ELIXIR Nodes and led by ELIXIR Luxembourg and Norway.
This initial work provides practical start-point users, as well as developers and maintainers, of the ELIXIR RDM resources to optimize the usage and interplay. The RDM Community hopes to develop the stories further to extend their scope and reach.