The FAIR Principles

Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable - make your data easier to find, share and reuse.

The FAIR principles provide guidance on how research data can be managed to maximize their value and usability. By following the FAIR principles, we can increase the value of research data and promote transparency, reproducibility, and reusability.

Since not all data can be fully open—e.g., due to confidentiality agreements or because the data contain sensitive information—the FAIR principles take into account different degrees of openness. The goal is to make data as open as possible and as closed as necessary.

'Findability' means that others should be able to "discover" your data.

How to make your data findable:

  • Assign a globally unique, persistent identifier (e.g. DOI)
  • Describe your data with rich metadata, including formats and content
  • Make metadata available in searchable repositories

'Accessibility' means that both machines and humans should be able to access your data, possibly under specific conditions or restrictions where relevant. The data itself does not need to be open and accessible, but there must be accessible metadata.

How to make your data accessible:

  • Use standard protocols (e.g. http) for retrieving data
  • Ensure metadata remains accessible even if the data itself is restricted
  • Apply authentication where necessary

Making data 'interoperable' means that data can be read, understood, and combined with other data, allowing for added value, within and across research disciplines.

How to make your data interoperable:

  • Use open formats (formats where the source code is open source)
  • Use standardized formats [e.g. text , taxonomies, and ontologies
  • Ensure metadata conforms to relevant standards (e.g. Dublin Core)
  • Provide links to related data, methods, and publications

To make data 'reusable' means that comprehensive documentation is necessary to support data interpretation and reuse. Data must adhere to common, accepted norms and have a license that informs others about the allowed forms of reuse.

How to make your data reusable:

  • Provide clear licensing for reuse
  • Ensure comprehensive documentation
  • Adhere to relevant domain standards

Contact

Datamanagement DTU Library

DTU’s Research Data Management Policy

The policy supports employees and students in decisions regarding data handling and expects DTU's researchers to follow the FAIR principles.

Open?

The FAIR principles promote openness and reproducibility, but also recognize that not all data can be shared due to sensitivity or confidentiality. The basic principle is: as open as possible, as closed as necessary.

Learn more about FAIR