Research data management an introduction Slides provided by
Research data management – an introduction Slides provided by the Da. Ma. RO Project, University of Oxford 08 December 2020 Research Services
What is research data management? § Research data is all the information you make use of in your research § Structured data (in databases, tables, etc. ) § Unstructured data (in textual sources, images, audio recordings, personal notes, emails, etc. ) § Data management is how you organize, structure, and care for this § Storage, backing up, and data preservation § Preparing material for analysis, or to share with others Research Services Research data management – an introduction 08 December 2020 Page 2
Data management basics § Be proactive – start early and think ahead § Take time to look at your existing ways of dealing with information § Do they meet your current needs? § Can you find what you need when you need it? § Are files and data suitably labelled to aid retrieval? § Will they continue to do so for the duration of your research project? § What about after that? What do you need to do to enable further use of the data – by you or by others? Research Services Research data management – an introduction 08 December 2020 Page 3
Funding bodies’ requirements § Funders are increasingly requiring researchers to meet certain data management criteria § When applying for funding, you may need to submit a technical or data management plan § You may be asked to make your data available through an archive § SHERPA JULIET provides a useful summary of funding bodies’ policies Research Services Research data management – an introduction 08 December 2020 Page 4
Storage and backing up § § How are you storing your data for the duration of your project? What’s your back-up plan? § The HFS service offers free back-up to postgraduates and university staff § Do you have access to space on a departmental server? Synchronization software can help if you work on multiple computers § Dropbox is popular – though others exist Research Services Research data management – an introduction 08 December 2020 Page 5
Data management tools § § Are you using the best tools for the task in hand? § Don’t struggle on with the wrong software or technique just because it’s what you know § If you’ve ever thought ‘I wish I could…’, maybe someone else has, too – and has written some software to make it possible § Tools exist to do a huge range of jobs – to help organize and analyse information, annotate Web pages, PDFs, or images, and much more Discover new tools via the Research Skills Toolkit website § You could also ask colleagues for recommendations, or search for online reviews Research Services Research data management – a brief introduction 08 December 2020 Page 6
Longer term goals § If you return to your data in a year or two, will it still be intelligible? Does the format make it clear what everything means? § Are there abbreviations that need explanation? § § Is the data adequately documented? Where did it come from? Who created it? § What changes have been made to it? § Is any additional information needed to place the data in context? § Are there any restrictions on how it can be used? § § What’s your long term storage plan? Research Services Research data management – a brief introduction 08 December 2020 Page 7
Planning for data sharing and curation § § Data sharing is… § Good practice – helps make the most of data § Good for you – improve your citation rate § Now required by most major funders Preserving and sharing data is much easier if planned for from the beginning of a project § Is the data in an appropriate format? Does it have the relevant documentation and metadata? § Are there confidentiality or IP issues? Research Services Research data management – a brief introduction 08 December 2020 Page 8
Depositing your data § § § Consider depositing data in a repository or archive § A straightforward way of ensuring long-term curation § There are many subject-specific repositories In 2013 Oxford will launch two new services § Data. Bank – an institutional digital data archive § Data. Finder – a catalogue of datasets § Email ORA@bodleian. ox. ac. uk for information or advice Bodleian Libraries can also advise on metadata and data standards, and can issue DOIs Research Services Research data management – an introduction 08 December 2020 Page 9
Training § § The IT Learning Programme offers courses on a wide range of software § Also database design, working with digital images, Web publishing. . . § Look out for courses specifically focusing on data management The Graduate Training site and the Skills Hub (both on Web. Learn) detail other training opportunities Research Services Research data management – an introduction 08 December 2020 Page 10
Advice and support § The OU Research Data Management website provides guidance and information about services § IT Services’ Info. Dev team for technical issues § Departmental IT support teams § IT Services’ NSMS offers paid-for services § Bodleian Libraries for curation and metadata issues § § Ask your subject librarian for discipline-specific help The Digital Curation Centre is a national body which can provide advice on sharing and preservation Research Services Research data management – an introduction 08 December 2020 Page 11
Finally. . . § See time spent on data management as an investment § § Spend a little time now to save more later It can be a good task for times when you’re feeling tired and uninspired § But remember that it’s supposed to save time, not occupy it! Research Services Research data management – an introduction 08 December 2020 Page 12
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