A Practice and Value Proposal for Doctoral Dissertation Data Curation

The preparation and publication of dissertations can be viewed as a subsystem of scholarly communication, and the treatment of data that support doctoral research can be mapped in a very controlled manner to the data curation lifecycle. Dissertation datasets represent “low-hanging fruit” for universities who are developing institutional data collections. The current workflow for processing electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) at a typical American university is presented, and a new practice is proposed that includes datasets in the process of formulating, awarding, and disseminating dissertations in a way that enables them to be linked and curated together. The value proposition and new roles for the university and its student-authors, faculty, graduate programs and librarians are explored

A Practice and Value Proposal for Doctoral Dissertation Data Curation

The preparation and publication of dissertations can be viewed as a subsystem of scholarly communication, and the treatment of data that support doctoral research can be mapped in a very controlled manner to the data curation lifecycle. Dissertation datasets represent “low-hanging fruit” for universities who are developing institutional data collections. The current workflow for processing electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) at a typical American university is presented, and a new practice is proposed that includes datasets in the process of formulating, awarding, and disseminating dissertations in a way that enables them to be linked and curated together. The value proposition and new roles for the university and its student-authors, faculty, graduate programs and librarians are explored

Bio-Mechanics Motion Studies - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The scientist interviewed for this data curation profiles is conducting interdisciplinary research on movement and balance. Specifically, he is focusing on movement analysis of groups that include special populations (i.e., people with injury or disability) people with typical development (i.e., without injury). The data management needs center around the need for infrastructure to accommodate large quantities and types of data, including both raw data and reduced, abstracted data. The researcher also identified the importance of maintaining the data from special populations for five to ten years due to the cost of replacing the data

Soil Ecology - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The data set presented in this data curation profile comes from the field of soil science. The researcher studies soil ecology and organic matter, more specifically, sustainable agriculture and understanding the impact of various treatments on soil fertility. The data management needs involve making the data available in multiple formats, preserving the data indefinitely, and providing access to analytical and visualization tools and web APIs. There are some privacy and confidentiality concerns regarding making the data accessible because some content (e.g., geographic information system data) could potentially identify land owners or other individuals who are responsible for the soil. Additionally, the researcher shared that in her field it is unclear which data should be kept and prepared and submitted for public access

Atmospheric Modeling - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The research addressed in this data curation profile is the study of the impact of the relative location of storms, in combination with other parameters, on subsequent weather development. He uses computational modeling to produce simulations of severe weather and the interaction of storms. The goal is to develop predictive models for severe weather activity. The data management issues surround sharing limitations associated with format of his data. The data and visualization produced by the specific software he uses can only be opened with that software. He is considering switching formats for wider accessibility

Analyzing Data Curation Job Descriptions (Poster & Abstract)

In developing the Data Curation Education Program (DCEP) at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, we have been engaged in a continuous, multi-faceted needs assessment of the range of data service needs for scientists and scholars across domains to inform curriculum development. The DCEP is training LIS professionals for employment across a range of information-oriented institutions, including data centers, libraries and institutional repositories, museums, archives, and private industry. As the data curation field matures, it is essential to assess required skill sets in relation to current jobs, as well as emerging or anticipated roles. This study uses current job postings as a source for analyzing the types of jobs emerging, the kinds of institutions looking for professionals with data curation skills, education requirements for current positions, and expectations for different categories of skill sets.published or submitted for publicatio

Data Management 101

<p>This is a slide set that gives an introduction to and overview of fundamental data management practices in the research data lifecycle.</p

Digital Curation Hype Cycle @ MSU

<p>This is just some fun thinking about where MSU digital curation projects land on Garnters hype cycle.</p