European guidelines recommend that scientific data should be made FAIR: findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable [1]. However, FAIR guidelines do not specify how the stated principles should be implemented, it might not be straightforward for researchers to know how to actually make their data FAIR.
The BIBBOX allows researchers to publish their data and the associated data management software (Apps) in a FAIR manner, through the incorporation of a FAIR Data Point into the Apps. A FAIR Data Point allows exposing data and metadata in a FAIR-compliant manner. Users can search the metadata of the published datasets and, if the licensing conditions allow, access the data itself.
The BIBBOX is a set of tools and services that support the creation and management of FAIR Data Points. The architecture of the BIBBOX is modular and flexible, allowing researchers to add a FAIR Data Point to existing open-source software solutions and to publish these in an App Store. Hence, it helps researchers make their data FAIR.
[1] Wilkinson, M., Dumontier, M., Aalbersberg, I. et al. The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship. Sci Data 3, 160018 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.18