The single-molecule biophysics community has delivered significant impacts to our understanding of fundamental biological processes, yet the field is also siloed and has fragmented data structures, which impede data sharing and limit the ability to conduct comprehensive meta-analyses. To advance the field of optical tweezers in single-molecule biophysics, it is important that the field adopts open and collaborative data sharing that facilitate meta-analyses that combine diverse resources and supports more advanced analyses, akin to those seen in projects such as the Protein Data Bank and the 1000 Genomes Project. Here, we assess the state of data findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (the FAIR principles) within the single-molecule optical tweezers field. By combining a qualitative review with quantitative tools from bibliometrics, our analysis suggests that the field has significant room for improvement in terms of FAIR adherence. Finally, we discuss the potential of compulsory data deposition and a minimal set of metadata standards to ensure reproducibility and interoperability between systems. While implementing these measures may not be straightforward, they are key steps that will enhance the integration of optical tweezers biophysics with the broader biomedical literature.

中文翻译：

---

光镊实验的 FAIR 数据


单分子生物物理学界对我们理解基本生物过程产生了重大影响，但该领域也是孤立的，并且数据结构碎片化，这阻碍了数据共享并限制了进行全面元分析的能力。为了推进单分子生物物理学中的光镊领域，该领域必须采用开放和协作的数据共享，以促进结合不同资源的元分析并支持更高级的分析，类似于蛋白质数据库和 1000 基因组计划等项目中看到的分析。在这里，我们评估了单分子光镊领域的数据可查找性、可访问性、互作性和可重用性（FAIR 原则）的状态。通过将定性审查与文献计量学的定量工具相结合，我们的分析表明，该领域在 FAIR 依从性方面还有很大的改进空间。最后，我们讨论了强制性数据沉积和一组最少的元数据标准的潜力，以确保系统之间的可重复性和互作性。虽然实施这些措施可能并不简单，但它们是加强光镊生物物理学与更广泛的生物医学文献整合的关键步骤。