With the open science movement now sweeping across disciplines, researchers are increasingly creating findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) datasets.

One way data are made discoverable for reuse is with data papers—a thorough description of a dataset(s) deposited in a publicly accessible repository.

Unlike traditional peer-reviewed papers, which focus on original research, data papers undertake no analysis or interpretation. “Data papers are essentially a means of taking detailed stock, or inventory, of data,” explain Drs. Lisa Loseto and Melissa Lafrenière, Editors-in-Chief at Arctic Science, an open access peer-reviewed journal that accepts data papers.

What can data papers do for science?

1. Data papers support scientific discovery

…

Read the full story over at Canadian Science Publishing.