Metroline: Development process

STATUS: IN DEVELOPMENT

Page development phases

While writing and reviewing it is important to keep in mind that the aim of the FAIR Metroline is to provide readers FAIRification guidance in an understandable and applicable way. Each page is designed to be user-friendly, with clear headings, concise language, and practical examples. After reading a page, a user should be able to understand the problem, take practical steps towards the solution, and apply the FAIR principles to their own research projects. Pages go through the development phases described below.

• STATUS: FUTURE WORK: This status indicates that work on this page won’t be started any time soon.

• STATUS: IN DEVELOPMENT: This status shows that active work will soon be started or is already being done to create the content by the Writing group. See Writing group for more information.

• STATUS: READY FOR REVIEW: At this stage, the content is drafted and checked on quality. Constructive feedback is provided by the Reviewing group, and revisions are made as necessary. See Reviewing group for more information.

• STATUS: Released: This status indicates that the content has been released by the Editorial board and is available for public use. See Editorial process for details.

Updates to status are made by the Editorial board to ensure that all pages are accurately tracked and maintained throughout their lifecycle. This structured approach allows for a clear workflow and accountability, ensuring that the information provided is both current and reliable.

Content of the FAIR Metroline

The FAIR Metroline is a Health-RI community effort, and decisions are driven by consensus among all contributors (writers, reviewers and editors).

The content of the FAIR Metroline will be periodically updated, based on contributions from the writers and reviewers. The Editorial board will ensure that the content represents the majority opinion and that the various perspectives of contributors are taken into account.

Kindly contact fairservicedesk@health-ri.nl if you consider any content to be incorrect.

Writing group

Contributing to the FAIR Metroline is a collaborative and structured process that ensures the content is accurate, comprehensive, and valuable. As part of the Writing group, you have full rights on the FAIR Metroline Confluence pages. Furthermore, you are added to the dedicated Slack channel. You will be mentioned in the Writers' section on the Contributors page.

As a writer, keep in mind the following:

• You are expected to co-create pages.

• You are expected to provide feedback on pages written by other members of the Writing group. See Metroline: Page feedback status (Writing group) (restricted access).

• To get a clear understanding of what is expected in each section of a FAIR Metroline page, study the template.

• Adhere to the Style guide

• Ensure the content you provide respects copyright by following the Copyright guidelines (TODO).

Suggested approach for writing a page

1. Brainstorming: Start with a braindump and add everything you can think of. Research your topic and look for existing best-practices in sources such as the FAIR Cookbook, RMDkit, Turing way and FAIR Sharing. Feel free to add other high quality sources and notify the Editorial board if you have general resources, which should be added to the list.

2. Drafting: Add your text by mentioning your name between brackets, followed by the text. For example: [Sander] This is my text.
   Draft a clear outline that structures the content logically. Include main headings and subheadings to organize the information.
   Define the key messages and objectives for the page. What should readers learn or be able to do after reading the page?
   Where appropriate, include examples, case studies, diagrams, or other visuals to illustrate points and enhance understanding.

3. Collaboration: Co-write with members from the Writing group. Some of us meet every Friday in Utrecht to co-write, but feel free to plan co-write sessions whenever you deem suitable.

4. Notification: When the writers feel the page is ready, notify the Editorial board and they will start the feedback process.

5. Revisions: Resolve the provided feedback, ensure your page follows the Style guide and notify the Editorial board.

Reviewing group

The reviewing process for contributions is critical to ensure that content is accurate, reliable, and valuable to readers. This process involves multiple steps and participants, ensuring thorough evaluation and quality control.

As part of the Reviewing group, you have comment rights on the FAIR Metroline Confluence pages. You will be mentioned in the Reviewers' section on the Contributors page.

As a reviewer, keep in mind the following:

• You are expected to review pages

  • The Editorial board will communicate with timeline when and which pages are available for review after the monthly board meeting. Pages will be available for review for two weeks.

• Review process:

  • Content accuracy: Reviewers thoroughly evaluate the accuracy of the information. They check facts, figures, and references to ensure that all information is correct and up-to-date.

  • Clarity and readability: Reviewers assess whether the content is clearly written and easy to understand. They check for logical flow, clear explanations, and appropriate use of language.

  • Relevance and value: Reviewers ensure that the content is relevant to the intended audience and provides valuable insights or guidance. They assess whether the content meets the objectives defined in the outline.

• Feedback and suggestions:

  • Constructive feedback: Reviewers provide detailed feedback, highlighting strengths and identifying areas for improvement. This includes suggestions for enhancing clarity, adding missing information, or correcting inaccuracies.

  • Specific comments: Reviewers may use tools such as comments or track changes to provide specific notes within the document. This helps the author understand exactly where changes are needed. Please make sure the suggestions are constructive and respectful.

• Author revisions:

  • Incorporating feedback: The author or writing group reviews the feedback and makes necessary revisions to the draft. This may involve rewriting sections, adding new information, or adjusting formatting. Contributors may contact you to further clarify/discuss a suggestion. Note that even though all suggestions will be taken seriously, not all will necessarily be adopted.

• Second review:

  • Review of revisions: Reviewers check that all feedback has been adequately addressed and that the revised content meets quality standards. They ensure that all issues identified in the initial review have been resolved.

  • Final suggestions: If minor adjustments are still needed, reviewers provide final suggestions to the author.

  • Approval for publication: If the content meets all criteria, the editorial board approves it for publication and updates the status. If further revisions are needed, the content is sent back to the author with specific instructions.

To reduce expenses, the Editorial board regularly checks whether Confluence accounts are actively used and disables the inactive ones. To reactivate a disabled account, please send an email to fairservicedesk@health-ri.nl.

Editorial board

The Editorial board plays a critical role in overseeing the FAIR Metroline as a product, ensuring it remains a high-quality, reliable, and user-friendly resource. As a member of the Editorial board, you have several key responsibilities:

• Process creation and improvement:

  • Develop Processes: Design and establish effective processes for content creation, review, and publication to ensure consistency and quality across all pages.

  • Continuous Improvement: Regularly assess and refine these processes to enhance efficiency, address any issues, and adapt to new requirements or feedback.

• Membership management:

  • Track members: Maintain an up-to-date record of members in both the Writing group and Reviewing group. This includes monitoring active participation and contributions.

  • Assign rights: Ensure contributors are in the correct group and have the appropriate rights in Confluence

    • Writing group members get full access rights

    • Reviewing group members get comment right

  • Manage inactive accounts: Periodically review member activity and disable accounts of inactive members to maintain an active and engaged contributor base.

• Prioritising and planning:

  • Page prioritisation: Decide which pages need to be developed or updated based on the overall strategic goals and plateau planning. This ensures that the most critical content is prioritized.

  • Development tracking: Monitor the progress of each page through its development stages. Update the status of pages to reflect their current phase (e.g., FUTURE WORK, IN DEVELOPMENT, READY FOR REVIEW, RELEASED).

• Feedback and review coordination:

  • Ensure feedback: Make sure that the Writing group consistently provides feedback on each other's drafts. This collaborative approach helps improve the quality of content.

  • Notify reviewers: Informe the Reviewing group and other stakeholders when pages are ready for review. Use multiple channels to communicate this:

    • Via email, websites and/or blog-posts, e.g. on the Health-RI website

    • Information includes a link to the How to contribute page

• Quality assurance:
  Ensure pages meet the quality standards.

  • Style guide updates: Regularly update the Style guide to reflect current standards and practices. This guide helps maintain uniformity and high quality across all pages.

  • Adherence to standards: Check that all pages adhere to the Style guide. This includes verifying formatting, language, and structure.

  • Link maintenance: Review pages for dead links and update or remove them to ensure that all references and resources are accessible and current.

• Board membership and meetings:

  • Writing group membership: All Editorial board members must also be part of the Writing group to stay actively involved in content creation and development.

  • Monthly Meetings: The Editorial board meets once per month to discuss ongoing projects, review processes, address any issues, and plan future activities. These meetings ensure continuous alignment and effective decision-making.