The Role of Data Reuse in the Apprenticeship Process

摘要

The availability of research data through digital repositorieshas made data reuse a possibility in a growing number offields. This paper reports on the results of interviews with27 zoologists, 43 quantitative social scientists and 22archaeologists. It examines how data reuse contributes tothe apprenticeship process and aids students in becomingfull members of scholarly disciplines. Specifically, itinvestigates how data reuse contributes to the processes bywhich novice researchers join academic communities ofpractice. We demonstrate how projects involving data reuseprovide a unique opportunity for advisors to mentor novicesthrough the process of creating knowledge. In thesesituations, senior researchers model general reuse practicesand impart skills for their students to use in the future whenselecting, evaluating, and analyzing data they did notcollect. For novices, data reuse constitutes a form oflegitimate peripheral participation, a way for them to enterthe community of practice by analyzing data that has beenpreviously collected and reflecting on others’methodologies. Our study findings indicate that reuseoccurs across each target community studied. They alsosuggest how repositories can help foster a reuse culture byproviding access to data and building trust in researchcommunities.