A Trust Framework for Online Research Data Services

• Main Authors: Malcolm Wolski, Louise Howard, Joanna Richardson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-06-01
• Series: Publications
• Subjects: virtual laboratories; science gateways; data provenance; risk perception
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2304-6775/5/2/14

There is worldwide interest in the potential of open science to increase the quality, impact, and benefits of science and research. More recently, attention has been focused on aspects such as transparency, quality, and provenance, particularly in regard to data. For industry, citizens, and other researchers to participate in the open science agenda, further work needs to be undertaken to establish trust in research environments. Based on a critical review of the literature, this paper examines the issue of trust in an open science environment, using virtual laboratories as the focus for discussion. A trust framework, which has been developed from an end-user perspective, is proposed as a model for addressing relevant issues within online research data services and tools.