# Research Data Management Guides — De Moraes/Mescher Laboratory

## About the Lab

The Biocommunication Group at ETH Zurich is part of the Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS) and the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS). Our research investigates the role of chemical signaling in ecological interactions, spanning tritrophic plant-herbivore-predator dynamics, plant responses to microbial and olfactory cues, plant-pollinator communication, and the ecology of vector-borne diseases. We combine approaches from molecular biology, analytical chemistry, behavioural studies, and field ecology.

## About These Guides

These guides support consistent, reproducible, and FAIR data management practices across the group. All incoming lab members — PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and research staff — are required to follow these workflows as part of their onboarding. Our aim is to ensure research data remain well-organized, accessible to collaborators, and compliant with ETH Zurich open research data policy (RSETHZ 414.2).

Guides were prepared by Hannier Pulido (Data Manager, hannier.pulido@usys.ethz.ch).

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## Guide List

| File | Topic | Version |
|------|-------|---------|
| `ELN_Documentation_Guide_Biocomm_20260626.pdf` | How to create and document projects, experiments, and experimental steps in OpenBIS (ELN/LIMS) | v.20260626 |
| `FolderStructure_Documentation_Guide_Biocomm_20260626.pdf` | Folder structure and file naming conventions on the shared NAS drive | v.20260626 |
| `DataDeposition_Guide_Biocomm_20260626.pdf` | Active data storage rules, data flow to publication, and how to deposit projects to the lab GitLab repository | v.20260626 |
| `QRLabel_Printing_Guide_Biocomm_20260626.pdf` | Step-by-step workflow for generating and printing QR code labels for physical samples | v.20260626 |
| `GitLab_Workflow_Guide_Biocomm_20260626.pdf` | Git Bash setup, personal access tokens, cloning, committing, pushing, collaborating, and Zenodo DOI archiving | v.20260626 |
| `PermID_Handling_Guide_Biocomm_20260626.pdf` | What PermIDs are in OpenBIS, how to export them, and how to link physical samples to digital records | v.20260626 |
| `README_Template_Guide_Biocomm_20260626.pdf` | How to write a project README, required sections, fill-in template, and examples for different data types | v.20260626 |
| `Offboarding_Checklist_Biocomm_20260626.pdf` | Checklist for departing lab members covering ELN handover, NAS organisation, GitLab, physical samples, and knowledge transfer | v.20260626 |

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## Lab Infrastructure

| System | Purpose | Access |
|--------|---------|--------|
| OpenBIS ELN/LIMS | Electronic lab notebook and sample management | openbis-biocommunication.ethz.ch |
| Shared NAS drive | Active project storage (mandatory for all data) | P:/ (mapped network drive) |
| GitLab repository | Code and data deposition for publications | gitlab.ethz.ch/biocommunication |
| Zenodo | Permanent archiving and DOI issuance for published datasets | zenodo.org |

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## Key Rules

- **All data must be stored on the shared NAS** (P:/). Personal computers and local drives are not permitted as primary storage.
- **Every project must be documented in OpenBIS** with an experimental step for each experiment, linked to physical samples via QR/PermID labels.
- **All code and processed data underlying a publication must be deposited** to the lab GitLab before submission, and archived to Zenodo to obtain a DOI.
- **Every project folder on the NAS must contain a README.md** describing the contents, data columns, methods, and software versions.
- **Departing lab members must complete the Offboarding Checklist** and have it signed off by the data manager before their last day.

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## Contact

**Hannier Pulido** — Data Manager
ETH Zürich, D-USYS
hannier.pulido@usys.ethz.ch