Relations to Other Records
Last updated
Last updated
One of the most important parts of a FAIRsharing record is its links to other records. This information places a resource in context - which standards does a database implement, how is it interoperable with other resources?
Any resource only really exists within the context of its research landscape - those standards, databases and data policies that reference it in some way. Is there a standard format used by your database? Does your terminology extend or import another ontology? Does your data policy recommend the use of particular standards/databases? These are the relationships that can be added - and provide so much valuable context - to your record.
This section describes the "Relations to Other Records" tab within the Edit Interface.
Please link to other FAIRsharing standards, databases and policies by adding the appropriate FAIRsharing record via the autocomplete field using the FAIRsharing ID, full name, or short name of the record to be linked. To add a relationship, search for the name of the resource in the "Available records" section on the left-hand side and click on the green arrow. To remove a relationship, search for the name of the resource in the "Associated records" on the right-hand side (or simply scroll) and then click on the red bin icon. Once the new association has been saved, a linkback to your record will also appear in the other resource’s record. Here's a gif of the three relationships in our example record being added:
The simplest reason to link to another FAIRsharing record is to show a direct association between two resources. This is the most common type of association between records in FAIRsharing, and covers most user requirements. However, sometimes a group of resources are interrelated requiring every record in that group to be linked to each other.
If you are not the maintainer for all of the records in an interrelated group, you will not be able to add all the required associations. In such cases, please get in touch and we'll help you add everything you need.
Here are some examples:
The GenBank database record links to a number of standards it either develops or implements (e.g. GenBank Sequence Format and FASTA Sequence Format), as well as to a variety of databases it has collaborations with or which draw data from it (e.g. DNA Data Bank of Japan and NCBI BioSample).
The QTL Archive record is linked to MPD because the databases are closely related; although the QTL Archive is part of the MPD project, it retains a unique identity.
As part of the wwPDB organisation, the five interrelated PDB resources are all linked together (see the wwPDB record in FAIRsharing to view these relationships).
In the following sections, the relationships available from each record type are described. Please use these to help you decide how best to capture the ecosystem of interlinked databases, standards and policies related to your resource.
