New research compendia make science easier to check and reuse

Scientists can now share all their research work in one package, like a digital box. This is different from just sharing a paper and helps others check the work.
By Newsroom | Science, Technology |

A new convention, known as the 'research compendium,' is gaining traction as a method to package all digital components of scientific inquiry. This structured approach aims to consolidate raw data, analysis code, textual reports, and associated metadata into a cohesive unit. The core idea is to make research outputs more transparent, verifiable, and reusable by organizing them according to established conventions.

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The central promise of research compendia lies in their ability to enhance the reproducibility of scientific work. By bundling together all the necessary elements – code, data, and narrative – these compendia aim to allow others, or even the original researchers at a later date, to reconstruct the findings and verify the analytical process. This is often facilitated through the use of version control systems like Git and standardized directory structures, which streamline file management and analytical workflows.

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These compendia are being presented as a potential evolution of traditional academic publishing. They move beyond the static research paper to encompass a broader set of research objects, making the "full story" of the research accessible and interactive for both human readers and machines. The goal is to create contributions to the body of knowledge that are not only findable and accessible but also inspectable, interoperable, reusable, and extensible – a framework sometimes referred to as 'FAIR+E'.

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Organizing the Digital Lab

The practical implementation of a research compendium often involves a defined directory structure. Key components typically include:

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  • A data/ directory, often subdivided into raw_data/ and derived_data/.

  • An analysis/ folder containing scripts, figures, and paper drafts.

  • Configuration files like DESCRIPTION and NAMESPACE, particularly when integrated with R packages.

  • Bibliographic files, such as references.bib.

Tools and packages, particularly within the R ecosystem like rrtools and rcompendium, are being developed to automate the creation and management of these structures, allowing researchers to focus more on the scientific content rather than organizational overhead.

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Platforms for Dissemination and Archiving

Platforms like Zenodo are beginning to host communities specifically for research compendia, providing a space for their collection and dissemination across various scientific disciplines. This offers a potential pathway for formalizing their role in scholarly communication. The development of guides on "how to read" and "how to create" research compendia further indicates a maturing understanding and adoption of this approach.

Historical Context and Evolving Metaphors

The concept of the research compendium can be seen as an extension of efforts to improve data management and computational transparency in data-intensive sciences. It offers a more comprehensive alternative to simply sharing code or data independently. The underlying motivation is to shift the academic paper's metaphor from a static document to a more dynamic, executable, and reproducible entity that facilitates collaboration and builds upon existing knowledge more effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are research compendia and why are scientists using them?
Research compendia are a new way for scientists to share all parts of their research work together. This includes raw data, computer code, and written reports. They are used to make sure research can be checked easily by others and can be used again in the future.
Q: How do research compendia help make science more trustworthy?
By putting all the research parts in one place, compendia let other scientists see exactly how results were found. They can check the data and the code used for analysis. This helps prove that the findings are real and not made up.
Q: What parts are usually included in a research compendium?
A research compendium typically contains raw data, computer code for analysis, written reports or papers, and notes about the data. It's like a complete package of a scientific study.
Q: Are there tools to help scientists create research compendia?
Yes, there are tools and special programs, especially for the R computer language, that help scientists build and manage research compendia. These tools make it easier to organize everything needed.
Q: Where can people find or share research compendia?
Websites like Zenodo are starting to host research compendia. This gives scientists a place to share their complete research packages with others across different science fields.