Research data
The Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) adheres to the "Guidelines on the Handling of Research Data within the Leibniz Association". When handling research data, the IOS also follows what are known as FAIR principles, according to which research data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. By making research data available, the IOS aims to support interdisciplinary research, both at the Institute and in general. The implementation of a systematic research data policy will increase the recognition of the work that goes into it, also in terms of the verifiability of scholars’ publication lists.
The IOS objectives that result from this, as well as from the requirements of third-party funding bodies (such as the "DFG Guidelines on the Handling of Research Data"), are:
- To establish the FAIR creation, processing, description, and publication of research data as part of good research practice.
- To improve the reusability of research data by making the data available in suitable formats and standards, including documentation of data collection, modelling, and preparation already during the research process, and through publication with open licenses for use.
- To implement data management plans as an integral part of research projects including measures for quality control of research data.
- To increase the visibility of IOS research by making research data available in the institutional data portal LaMBDa and through the research data service OstData.
Research data is generated in all disciplines represented at the IOS, those being economics, political science, and history. The IOS also generates project-related data, including in other disciplinary contexts. This diversity of research data is undeniably a strength, but at the same time also a challenge, because the handling of data must take the disciplinary diversity into account. For this reason, the IOS defines research data broadly, guided by the Leibniz Guidelines and the "Position Paper of the German Historical Association (VHD) on the Creation of National Research Data Infrastructures (NFDI)". We consider all digital materials created in the research process to be potential research data. These range from survey data and statistical calculations, transcriptions, and digital copies to digital source editions, databases, and aggregated data including descriptions through metadata and the associated documentation.