RD3 Scope Statement and Selection Criteria

The Resources for Data Driven Discovery (RD3) Portal fosters learning and collaboration in data science and data management. The portal will primarily serve librarians and library administrators working in institutions that are generating, sharing, storing, and/or using data for basic scientific, clinical, or translational research and teaching in the health, biological, and physical sciences. As such, the portal will bring together resources on education, outreach and collaboration, best-practices, and current events for data-driven research. The portal will provide librarians with the tools, knowledge, and skills to effectively participate in networked science and teach data topics to Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) stakeholders.

RD3 content is maintained and curated by the RD3 Content Advisory Board: 

  • Marianne Burke - University of Vermont 
  • Michelle Cawley - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
  • Jennifer Chaput - University of Connecticut Library
  • Will Dean - Temple University Libraries
  • Rosaline Odom - Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
  • Sara M. Samuel - University of Michigan
  • Shannon Sheridan - University of Wyoming 

Thank you to this group of information professionals for volunteering their time and expertise. Advisory board members receive an honorarium provided by an RML with available funding.

Inclusion Criteria 

The following areas will be considered in decisions about whether a link will be added to the RD3 portal:

Authority

  • The name(s) of authors, creators is published on the site
  • Emphasis is on U.S. federal and state government resources, major national (scientific societies, professional organizations, etc.), and international organizations (World Health Organization, etc.), educational institutions, libraries, foundations, and commercial news organizations that provide information management information.
  • Sites produced by individuals are not included unless there is no other source of the information. The author's name, title, affiliation, and credentials must be provided.
  • Focus is on non-commercial sites. If a commercial site is linked the following conditions need to be present:
    • Most content must be available at no charge or be clearly labeled if charges apply
    • The site’s content should not cause a reasonable user to conclude that products or services are endorsed
    • Site makes an obvious distinction between material created for advertising and material created for information

Purpose

  • The aims of the website and sponsoring organizations are clearly identified
  • Any advocacy positions of the web site are explicitly acknowledged
  • No conflicts of interest are apparent

Appropriateness

  • The intended audience is clear, and information is appropriate to the audience
  • The primary purpose of the webpage is educational

Quality, Access, and Reliability

  • The content is accurate, well organized, and easy to navigate
  • The link is consistently available
  • Links from the site are maintained
  • The site does not take an excessively long time to load
  • User does not need institutional affiliation in order to access site (e.g. user name and password for accessing a library database) 

Currency

  • An update date is included on the site
  • Resources that are more than three years old will be evaluated yearly to ensure relevance

Exclusion Criteria

  • Any site with undetermined sponsorship or affiliation
  • Any site that is rendered to be inaccurate, unethical, irresponsible
  • Any site that provides secondary linkages to inappropriate content

Reference to an external Internet resource on this site does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement by the National Library of Medicine of the services or views described in that resource.

This document is based on the former New England E-Science Portal for Librarians scope statement and selection criteria and the Selection Guidelines for Non-National Library of Medicine Resources from the National Library of Medicine page for Environmental Health, Toxicology, and Chemical Information.

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