Science Gateways and the Humanities: An Exploratory Study of their Rare Partnership

Researchers and educators in humanities such as computational linguists, digital humanists, and those doing historical reconstructions are increasingly heavy users of computational and/or data resources. Many know about activities, working groups, and initiatives around the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles and are a driving force for improving the sharing of data and software. However, it seems humanities researchers are less aware of the science gateways community and the end-to-end solutions that science gateways could provide, therefore lacking a driving force for adoption of this technology. Some may be creating their own gateways outside the community; others may wish to use computational and data infrastructures but may perceive a lack of support or opportunities. Hypotheses about the reasons that humanities are not well represented as gateways builders and users include lack of funding and support by computer centers. This small-scale exploratory study will clarify some of the challenges and needs faced by computational researchers in the humanities that may explain their relatively low participation in the science gateways community. For this paper, we present the results of 19 interviews with 7 women, 11 men, and 1 non-binary individual from seven states and DC in the US with a range of professional backgrounds and roles.