Chemistry-specific README template for data publicationsThe practice of publishing data alongside a research article, or even as a standalone publication, is becoming increasingly common in the chemistry community. While there are many chemistry-specific repositories, which allow for the storage of chemistry-specific metadata (to a different extent), most data are published in more generic repositories now. Very common repositories are Zenodo, institutional repositories and RADAR4Chem. The ability to provide chemistry-specific metadata is often limited in these repositories. In addition, we noticed that the good practice of providing a README file which describes the provenance of the data is not often used.
To support researchers with these two challenges, we have created this README template, which can be completed and added to one's own data publication. We encourage researchers to adapt and reuse the content for their own purposes. Furthermore, we want to encourage them to help to improve this template by adding content, e.g. specific method sections or suggestions for improvements, to our GitHub Repository at https://github.com/NFDI4Chem/Chemistry-specific_README_template_data_publications.
New versions of the template will be published in GitHub and Zenodo using the versioning features, and all changes to the template will be documented.
Research Data Management for Chemists: A Collection of Practical ChecklistsWith this collection of checklists, we aim to provide practical guidance and help you identify the most important steps for managing your research data. Wherever you are in the research data life cycle, the checklists guide you through the key aspects of the respective phase, providing chemistry-specific information, key questions and useful tool tips.
The checklists are designed for researchers at all career stages. In total there are eight checklists. The checklists 01-06 guide you through the most important steps during the data life cycle, while checklist 07 is a compilation of useful chemistry-specific research data management tools and checklists 08 is specifically aimed at group leaders and principal investigators.
Checklists:
01 Planning
02 Storing data
03 Describing data
04 Archiving data
05 Publishing data
06 Reusing data
07 Tools
08 Group leaders & PI
DMP Writing Made Easy: A Hands-on Workshop for ChemistsThis Open Educational Resource (OER) is part of the Data Management Plan (DMP) workshop, "DMP Writing Made Easy: A Hands-on Workshop for Chemists," which was developed by the Chemistry Consortium of the National Research Data Infrastructure in Germany (NFDI4Chem). The workshop was first offered online on January 21, 2026. The workshop concept was developed as an incubator project of NFDI4Chem during the integration phase of the NFDI basic service on data management plans (DMP4NFDI). This publication directly contributes to the deliverable 2.1, "Concept for outreach support," of the DMP4NFDI integration phase proposal.
The workshop materials intended for reuse by others consist of a set of slides used during the workshop, including comprehensive speaker notes and additional reading material, a detailed concept for conducting the workshop, and a README file.
FAIR Chemistry Data: A Research Data Management Workshop ConceptThis open educational resource (OER) is based on the workshop 'FAIR Research Data Management: Basics for Chemists', which has been delivered over 40 times to more than 800 participants within the NFDI4Chem framework since 2022. NFDI4Chem is the chemistry consortium of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) in Germany.
The workshop introduces the fundamentals of research data management (RDM) to researchers working in chemistry and related disciplines, and therefore includes many examples specific to chemistry. We demonstrate how good RDM can be applied in practice, highlighting chemistry-specific features and introducing relevant tools and services. The target group is primarily early career researchers, such as doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers. Our workshop concept is intended for reuse, adaptation and further development by instructors, trainers, and educators from different institutions and (chemistry-related) disciplines.
The workshop concept package includes a modularised slide deck in both NFDI4Chem and plain designs, including comprehensive speaker notes and additional reading material, an introduction file, a detailed training concept file, a file describing the exercises and several example files. Together, these provide conceptual input, RDM knowledge and interactive elements that can be combined, modified or expanded according to specific learning objectives, target groups and the time available.
Based on four modules (M01-M04), the following topics are covered:
M01: Basics of research data management
M02: Documentation
M03: Electronic laboratory notebooks
M04: Data preservation
Research Data Management (RDM) for Energy ResearchThe “Research Data Management (RDM) for Energy Research” course offers a detailed exploration of how to handle research data in the energy sector. The course introduces participants to the FAIR data principles — ensuring data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. It emphasizes practical steps for managing data efficiently, from the creation of data management plans to handling complex data from simulations and software in energy projects. The interactive nature of the course, along with real-world examples, ensures a comprehensive understanding of RDM tailored specifically for energy researchers.
The course is hosted on LiaScript, an interactive learning platform, and covers essential topics such as data lifecycle management, data preservation, and sharing practices. Participants will learn about the legal and ethical considerations related to data management in energy research, including open-access strategies and the use of metadata for enhanced collaboration.
SmartClue - The NFDI4Chem Guessing GameNFDI4Chem presents its research data management (RDM) guessing game SmartClue, featuring general and chemistry-specific terms. The game encourages researchers to engage with RDM in a fun way. SmartClue is based on our open educational resource (OER) ‘FAIR Chemistry Data: A Research Data Management Workshop Concept’.
What is inside the data publication?
The data publication includes the SmartClue card game template in .pptx and .pdf file format for reuse. Every slide in the .pptx file (or page in the .pdf file) corresponds to a single side of a card. In the files the front and the back of every single card are in an alternating order. The files are provided in the corporate colour scheme (NFDI4Chem petrol, Hex: #009CBC) and font (IBM Plex Sans semibold or light) of NFDI4Chem. The design is given and can be adjusted in the slide master in the .pptx file.
Every playing card includes a number ("M01", "M02", "M03", or "M04") on the back belonging to the four modules of the corresponding OER:
M01: Basics of research data management
M02: Documentation
M03: Electronic laboratory notebooks
M04: Data preservation
SmartClue contains 62 cards in total (cover card, "How to play?" card, and 60 playing cards) provided in landscape format in the size of standard playing cards (91 x 59 mm), thus fitting into a standard playing card holder (66 x 97 x 25 mm). Some shops might ask for a bleed margin when printing the card game, which is not included in the given files.
For more information on the content and reuse of this data publication, have a look at the provided README file.
How to play?
Shuffle the cards and place them face down between the players. The first player draws a card and tries to explain the term on it without mentioning the term or any parts of it. Once the other players have correctly guessed the term, the next player draws a card. To increase the difficulty, skipping cards is not allowed! If several teams are playing against each other, set a time limit of 10 minutes. After this time, the team with the most guessed cards wins.
Have fun!