The HeFDI curation recommendations A step towards the harmonization of data curation processes in the hessian research data repositories

As part of the cooperation within the state initiative HeFDI (Hessian Research Data Infrastruc-tures), all eleven Hessian universities have agreed on a distributed, but coordinated operation of their research data repositories, based on the open source software DSpace. Most of the HeFDI research data repositories have been in operation since the end of 2020. It has been shown that the initial fear of a lack of acceptance of the new service can lead to a deliberately loose curation of incoming datasets in order to enable the lowest possible threshold for use. At the same time, however, stricter curation increases the value of the service, as submitters receive more intensive advice and data users find better described datasets. During the de-velopment of our repositories and their continuous profile sharpening, we increasingly came to the conclusion that basic curation is feasible and sensible for us. The scope of the curation and the standards to be applied require further consideration. As regular discussions have shown, there is uncertainty across all Hessian locations regarding the question of when a submitted dataset meets the repository's quality criteria and should ultimately be accepted, or which suggestions for improvements to the researchers are appropriate or necessary. In a separate working group, HeFDI consultants from various Hessian universities have therefore worked on a guideline with recommendations for the curation of data publications in their re-search data repositories, which takes into account the individuality and diversity of data publi-cations as well as local particularities and institutional prerequisites. Our contribution will cover... 1. ...the development process leading to the final product, 2. ...selected points within the curation recommendations that were much discussed in our working group 3. ...the reuse potential for repository operators outside of Hesse, and for submitters.