Surveying the state of data curation: a review of policy and practice in UK HEIs

As the value of research data has become increasingly recognized in the United Kingdom by public funding organizations, pressure has been placed on higher education institutions to provide access to research data or risk future funding. As a result, research data services have emerged rapidly over the past few years. However, it is not clear whether these services effectively ensure the long-term preservation of research data or apply appropriate data curation measures. Through a three-part methodology, the dissertation research aimed to provide a clear picture of the current state of data curation in UK HEIs, including adherence to best practices and the existence of provisions for data curation efforts. A survey questionnaire was disseminated as the primary method of data collection, and additional information was gathered through a literature review and an analysis of online resources and institutional policies. Data curation practices were found to be mostly inconsistent with best practices and were largely focused on facilitating access to research data. However, there is an awareness of the underdeveloped areas of data curation, especially preservation, and efforts are being made to improve these areas. Institutional policies were found to be mostly documents that defined roles and responsibilities and provided little guidance for follow-through. The role of researchers was repeatedly emphasized in both policy and practice and was essential in understanding the current state of data curation