News
Project Description
Discuss Data (www.discuss-data.net) is a new open repository for storing, sharing and discussing research data with a focus on the post-Soviet states. The platform, launched in September 2020, is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and operated by the Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen (FSO) and the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB). Discuss Data goes beyond ordinary repositories and offers an interactive online platform for the discussion and quality assessment of research data. Our aim is to create a space for academic communication and for the community-specific publication, curation, annotation and discussion of research data on the post-Soviet region.
In view of an increasing debate within the academic community about the reliability and validity of research data, especially regarding the post-Soviet region, this is of crucial importance. Also, there is an increasing demand for research data management and transparency, manifested in initiatives like the FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship. The major German scientific funding institution, the German Research Foundation (DFG), suggests in its "Proposals for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice" to securely store primary research data for ten years. As a project funded by the DFG, Discuss Data is commited to this practice.
Discuss Data combines the upload and publication of data collections not only with documentations of data collection, but also enables in the same space the interactive evaluation of the data through the assessment of their quality, their contextualisation and discussion. Thus, we enable the international community of experts to report faulty data, in case of missing data to recommend alternative data sources, and to extensively discuss the interpretation and application of data. Discuss Data presents the opportunity to structure and present feedback to research data and to transform the evaluation of research data from an individualistic to a collective procedure that benefits the whole academic community.
For data storage and long-term digital preservation, Discuss Data is connected to the DARIAH-DE repository, where all open data will be archived, and prospectively the Humanities Data Centre services. Through cross-linkage with various external data sources, the knowledge and debates about research data shall be collected interactively and made accessible to both the academic community and the interested public. Thereby, Discuss Data contributes to the creation of a project-independent, transregional and sustainable information infrastructure.
For further information and the broader rationale of Discuss Data, read our article on "Transparency and quality assessment of research data in post-Soviet area studies: The potential of an interactive online platform".
We recommend new users to read our 'First steps for new users' manual before starting, where we briefly explain the interface and the different uses and functionalities of Discuss Data.
Team
Prof. Dr. Heiko Pleines (FSO Bremen)
Project director
Prof. Dr. Heiko Pleines is the head of the project. He also supervises the curators of the platform.
Felix Herrmann (FSO Bremen)
Development, curator
Felix Hermann is responsible for the development and the technical maintenance of Discuss Data. As a historian interested in Digital Humanities, he is the curator for historical data.
Dr. Eduard Klein (FSO Bremen)
Outreach, community, curator
Dr. Eduard Klein is responsible for outreach and community engagement at Discuss Data. He is also curator for corruption-related data. You can reach him via eklein@uni-bremen.de.
Daniel Kurzawe (SUB Göttingen)
Coordination
Daniel Kurzawe is the deputy head of the Department for Research and Development at SUB Göttingen and is the project coordinator of Discuss Data.
Stefan Hynek (SUB Göttingen)
Development
Stefan Hynek is responsible for development and maintenance of the platform and for the technical integration of Discuss Data in the European research data network infrastructure.
Data Curators
Registered users who have actively participated in the communication on Discuss Data (mainly through comments) and proven their expertise can either volunteer or be approached by Discuss Data for the role of curator. If they are accepted/accept, they will be gradually integrated into the editorial process of Discuss Data under the guidance of existing curators.
In the early stages of the project, members of the Discuss Data team in Bremen will fulfil the role of curators. The long-term goal of the project is to establish a community-driven and organised online platform.
Currently, the curators for the main categories are:
Corruption: Dr. Eduard Klein, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, eklein[at]uni-bremen.de
Economic History: Felix Herrmann, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, felix.herrmann[at]uni-bremen.de
Education: Dr. Eduard Klein, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, eklein[at]uni-bremen.de
Miscellaneous: Dr. Eduard Klein, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, eklein[at]uni-bremen.de
Opinion Polls: Prof. Dr. Heiko Pleines, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, pleines[at]uni-bremen.de
Protests: Dr. Jan-Matti Dollbaum, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, dollbaum[at]uni-bremen.de
Social Policy: Dr. Andreas Heinrich, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, heinrich[at]uni-bremen.de
Advisory Board
The Discuss Data team is supported by an international advisory board constituted of acknowledged experts from various fields of research:
- Prof. Dr. Margarita Balmaceda, Seton Hall University / Davis Center for Eurasian Studies, Harvard University / Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg Delmenhorst
- Prof. Dr. Timm Beichelt / Dr. Daria Isachenko, European University Viadrina – Frankfurt (Oder)
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Breiter, University of Bremen
- Dr. Jakob Fruchtmann, Jacobs University Bremen
- Dr. Mischa Gabowitsch, Einstein Forum Potsdam
- Prof. Dr. Sebastian Lentz, Leibniz Institut für Länderkunde Leipzig
- Prof. Dr. Ingo Rohlfing, University of Cologne
- Prof. Dr. Susanne Schattenberg, University of Bremen
- Prof. Dr. Andrei A. Yakovlev, National Research University – Higher School of Economics Moscow