Transcript Ten top things researchers need to know about research data management Slides provided by DaMaRO Project, University of Oxford Research Services.

Ten top things researchers
need to know about research
data management
Slides provided by DaMaRO Project,
University of Oxford
Research
Services
One: It covers more than you might think
“A reinterpretable representation of information in a formalized
manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing.”
Digital Curation Centre
Research
Services
Slide adapted from
the PrePARe Project
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
One: It covers more than you might think
Any information you use in your
research
Research
Services
Slide adapted from
the PrePARe Project
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
One: It covers more than you might think

Data management is a general term covering
how you organize, structure, store, and care for
the information used or generated during a
research project
 It includes:

How you deal with information on a day-to-day
basis over the lifetime of a project

What happens to data in the longer term – what you
do with it after the project concludes
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Two: Data has a much higher profile than it
used to have

A paradigm shift in how research outputs are
viewed is occurring
 Data
outputs are of increasing importance
 And
are likely to become even more so in the
future
 Major
journals are increasingly looking to
publish datasets alongside articles

This is your chance to be at the forefront of an
important shift in the academic world
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Three: Oxford now has a policy
Introduced July 2012
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Three: Oxford now has a policy


Chiefly concerns the information needed to support a
research project’s outputs
Researchers are responsible for:




Ensuring data is accurate, complete, identifiable, retrievable,
and securely stored
Planning for the ongoing custodianship of their data
 Data should be retained for as long as it is of continuing
value – but a minimum of three years
Ensuring that legal, ethical, and funding body requirements
are met
Policy applies to University staff and doctoral students
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Four: Funders often have requirements

Funding bodies are taking an increasing
interest in what happens to research data
 You may be required to make your data
publicly available at the end of a project
 Check

the small print in your grant conditions
Many funders require a data management plan
as part of grant applications
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Five: Planning is indispensable

A data management plan is a document which
may be created in the early stages of a project
 While
 An

planning, applying for funding, or setting up
initial plan may be expanded later
Details plans and expectations for data
 Nature
of data and its creation or acquisition
 Storage
and security
 Preservation
and sharing
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Five: Planning is indispensable

The Digital Curation
Centre is a national
service providing
advice and resources
 Create a data
management plan
using the DCC’s
DMPonline tool
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/
https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk/
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Six: Backing up is easier than replacing
lost data
http://blogs.ch.cam.ac.uk/pmr/2011/08/01/why-you-need-a-data-management-plan/
Research
Services
Slide adapted from
the PrePARe Project
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Six: Backing up is easier than replacing
lost data




Make multiple copies of your work
Keep them in different places
Automate the process if you can
HFS is Oxford’s central back-up and
archiving service
 Free
of charge to University staff and
postgraduates
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Seven: Keeping proper records reduces
stress later
What’s obvious
now might not
be in a few
months, years,
decades…
MAKE SURE
YOU CAN
UNDERSTAND
IT LATER
Adapted from ‘Clay Tablets with Linear B Script’ by Dennis, via Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/5692813531/
Research
Services
Slide adapted from
the PrePARe Project
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Seven: Keeping proper records reduces
stress later



Documentation and metadata are the
contextual information required to make
data intelligible and aid interpretation
Helps make conclusions reproducible,
and data reusable (by you or by others)
A user’s guide to the data
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Seven: Keeping proper records reduces
stress later

Documentation should cover:
 Description
 Who
of the dataset
created it, when, and why
 Details
of methods
 Details
of what’s been done to the data
 Has
it been edited or manipulated?
 Definitions
of jargon, abbreviations, or codes
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Eight: Data sharing is a good career move

Data generated during a research project is
valuable
 Don’t leave it languishing on your hard drive
 Consider depositing it in an archive or repository
A
number of national disciplinary archives exist
 DataBib
 Oxford

provides a catalogue: http://databib.org/
will soon have its own data archive
If possible, make it available for others to re-use
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Eight: Data sharing is a good career move






Get credit for another aspect of your research
Get citations for the data – and for associated
publications
Reduce duplication of effort
Give your data a life beyond your own research
May be required by funders
Data can be redacted or embargoed if
necessary
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Nine: DataBank and DataFinder


Two new University of Oxford services
Scheduled to launch later in 2013
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Nine: DataBank and DataFinder


DataBank will be University of Oxford’s institutional
data archive

Long term preservation for datasets without another natural
home

Datasets may be publicly available, embargoed for a fixed
period, or hidden
DataFinder will be a catalogue of datasets

Will harvest metadata from DataBank and other compatible
data stores

Researchers depositing data elsewhere strongly encouraged
to add a record to DataFinder
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Ten: Help and advice are available

Oxford has a
central Research
Data Management
website
 University policy is
available
 Details of funders’
requirements
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/rdm/
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Ten: Help and advice are available

IT Services Research Support Services team
can assist with technical aspects of research
projects at all stages of the project lifecycle
 But
the earlier you seek advice, the better

Includes the DaMaRO (Data Management
Rollout at Oxford) Project
 For more information, email
[email protected]
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Ten: Help and advice are available
ORDS – Online Research Database Service
 Web-based, cloud-hosted database tool for
academic research
 Designed to make collaboration, publication of
databases, and archiving easy
 Currently recruiting early adopters –
free use of system in return for
feedback


Contact [email protected]
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Ten: Help and advice are available

IT Learning Programme
 Over 200 different IT
courses
 Covering software, skills, http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/
and new technologies
 ITLP Portfolio offers
course materials and
other resources
http://portfolio.it.ox.ac.uk/
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Ten: Help and advice are available

Research Skills
Toolkit
 Website and handson workshops
 Guide to software,
University services,
and other tools and
resources
 Requires SSO login
Research
Services
http://www.skillstoolkit.ox.ac.uk/
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Ten: Help and advice are available

Research Data
MANTRA
 Free online
interactive
training modules
 Aimed at
postgraduates
and early career
researchers
Research
Services
http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Ten: Help and advice are available
Introduction to Research Data Management –
a half-day course
 Running in Trinity 2013

 Humanities:
 Social
Wednesday 2nd week
Sciences: Wednesday 4th and 7th weeks
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management
Any questions?
Ask now, or email us on
[email protected]
Rights and reuse

Slideshow prepared by the DaMaRO Project at the University of Oxford,
and made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA License.

Parts of this slideshow draw on materials produced by the PrePARe
Project, University of Cambridge

Within the terms of the licence, we actively encourage sharing,
adaptation, and re-use of this material
Research
Services
Ten top things
researchers need to
know about research
data management