Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Fabian40]

Dear teachers:

When I browsed some websites, I found out one word, curation, that I cannot really understand. One example sentence like this: PGDBs in Tier 1 have received at least one year of literature-based curation by scientists. Could any one kindly help me to explain the word? Thanks a lot.

Best wishes,
Fabian

[Philo Kevetch]

Hello Fabian 40 -

Do you know the word 'curator'?... various uses/meanings -
a person having the care and superintendence of something; one in charge of research activities; one in charge of a single collection or subject of study

In your example...a group/committee of scientists has been charged to monitor, review and update new information published on the subject for one year in order to be classified as 'Tier 1' data in the database (PGDB).

'Tier 2' and 'Tier 3' data in the database have not been subjected to the same rigors of peer review and update and are (presumably) viewed differently by the scientifiic community.

What are you working on? Philo

[pugachevV]

The word, "curation" is not in the Oxford Dictionary, but it is probably intended to mean what Philo says.

[Philo Kevetch]

Hello Pugachev V -

The 'plastic' nature of the English language is one of the things which make it so interesting.

The term is used in other fields (ie. museum collections) -

recently, it is used for digital databases:

'digital curation is the process of establishing and developing long term repositories of digital assets for current and future references by researchers'

notably..the 'Digital Curation Centre' ac.uk

Philo