6 New Analyses with HerbVar Data
6.1 Overview
Our network is excited about researchers using HerbVar data for new analyses and publications. People interested in analyzing HerbVar data for publication should read Chapter 9 and Chapter 7 for a detailed outline of how to propose a project and the authorship guidelines.
In brief, the prospective author(s) look at the list of products already being worked on, submit a working title and abstract to the HerbVar Steering Committee, and receive feedback/approval. The proposed publication is then listed on the HerbVar site for other network members to see. Authors are encouraged, but not required, to invite additional network members to work with them as appropriate. See Authorship Guidelines (Chapter 7) for discussion of how and when to invite others. This process provides benefits such as access to unpublished data, information on potential overlap of the paper with other completed or ongoing analyses, advice about how to interpret the data, GitHub tools customized for analysis and publication of HerbVar data, and publicity for the publication through HerbVar channels.
Working Groups typically have six months to initiate work and two years from proposal to manuscript submission (or equivalent for non-manuscript projects). If manuscripts do not progress within those time frames the Steering Committee may make the data available to others interested in working on those questions.
Although people are free to work with HerbVar’s publicly available data independently, we hope that they will choose to work collaboratively with members of the network.
6.2 Using Publicly Available HerbVar Data
As papers using HerbVar data are published, HerbVar data associated with those papers become publicly available. There are two ways to work with these data:
Non-members and members can work independently with the published data, provided that they cite the datasets. As a courtesy, we request that individuals using published HerbVar data alert the HerbVar Steering Committee so we can track HerbVar-related publications.
Members and non-members can work with our published data and write papers through the HerbVar network as an HerbVar-sponsored Working Group. See Chapter 7 for details on how to propose new paper ideas and Working Groups.
In short, potential authors share their idea for a product with the Steering Committee, potentially inviting some members to join them although not necessarily for papers that are best done by a small author group. In return, HerbVar provides information on potential overlap of the paper with other completed or ongoing analyses, advice about how to use and interpret our data, pre-written R code for data wrangling and cleaning (via our GitHub organization), and publicity for the publication through HerbVar channels. An additional benefit of working as an HerbVar-sponsored working group is access to unpublished data (see below).
6.2.1 Citing Published HerbVar Data
Please be sure any manuscripts or presentations include citations to the archived dataset and the original paper for which they were used, as well as an acknowledgement of NSF’s funding of the HerbVar RCN, as described in Chapter 7.
6.3 Using Unpublished HerbVar Data
Unpublished data will be available to relevant HerbVar Working Groups as soon as they are compiled by the Steering Committee. Access will be provided through the HerbVar GitHub organization. We encourage HerbVar Working Groups to use our data to publish papers and educational materials, but it is important that all products be conceptually distinct from ongoing projects. Therefore, please review the proposed add-ons and in-progress papers and read the HerbVar Authorship Guidelines, which describe the process for forming a working group (see Chapter 7).
6.3.1 Citing Unpublished HerbVar Data
No permission is required to use Herbvar Data for educational purposes (e.g., course assignments) or presentations. We do ask, however, that you (1) notify the Steering Committee so we can track HerbVar’s impact and (2) acknowledge the data as follows: “Data were made available through the HerbVar Network, a project supported by the National Science Foundation (DEB-2203582 to W. Wetzel et al.)”
If you intend to eventually publish the material in which you are using unpublished HerbVar Data, you must follow the HerbVar Network Authorship Process (see Authorship Guidelines in Chapter 7). This process is designed to make sure contributors get credit for their data, to reduce overlap, to foster collaboration, to streamline use of HerbVar data to produce papers, and to help publicize HerbVar products. Chapter 7 also provides information on how to cite datasets and NSF support of the HerbVar RCN.