A guide to help researchers at Exeter with their Research Data Management questions

Cole, Gareth

Evans, Jill

Hunt, Meg

Open Research Exeter

Puzzled by  Research Data Management? http://ex.ac.uk/rdm Access Maintain Sharing data  Open Access Storage Plan where you will store your research data; consider the size of your data, the type of data  (is it sensitive or confidential?) and whether you need to be able to share it easily with other researchers. Backup Research data should be backed up in at least two places to avoid data loss. Check backups regularly to ensure that they haven’t been corrupted. Archive research data for the long-term according to funder, legal and University requirements. You will probably not need to archive all your research data; select and appraise data in line with research group or project guidelines. Selection and appraisal Archive research data for the long-term in a discipline-specific data repository, such as the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) or in  Exeter’s institutional repository, Open Research Exeter (ORE).  . Data repositories                      Email: rdm@exeter.ac.uk  Think about how you will securely share data with other members of your research team during your project. Commercial cloud storage services such as Dropbox or Wuala are useful but should not be used for confidential or sensitive data.  Many funders require that research data is made available to the public when ethically, commercially and legally appropriate. Making research data that underpins publications available on Open Access enhances the visibility of your research and increases research paper citations.           For further information, guidance and training go to  http://ex.ac.uk/rdm  With thanks to the University of Leicester for inspiring this guide:  http://www2.le.ac.uk/services/research-data/documents/UoLeic_RDMLeaflet_201210.pdf/view Funding bids Many research funders allow research data management costs to be included in funding applications. Consider including costs for storing data during your project and preparing data for long-term archiving. Data management plans Several funders require a data management plan (DMP) as part of the funding application process. A DMP outlines what and how data will be created or collected and how it will be shared and preserved. It is good practice to put together a DMP for any research project. Intellectual property rights At the beginning of your project think about getting permission for the re-use of secondary data sets. Many funders expect data to be made available on Open Access at the end of a research  project when possible.  Data protection and ethics If you are working with personal data, be aware that you need to treat this data according to the Data Protection Act. Also, remember that you need consent from participants to make personal data available on Open Access at the end of your project.                    Naming files and folders You should create supporting documentation at the time of data creation or collection in order to make your data verifiable, understandable and discoverable by other users. Supporting documentation Use reference management software to keep tabs on your references and add them to documents more easily. Managing references Develop a version control system to ensure that you work on the correct version of your data. It is important to keep track of master versions of files, especially where data files are shared between people or locations, e.g. when stored on both a PC and a laptop.  Version control Create Organise What is RDM?   Name your files and folders consistently to save you time and identify, locate and retrieve your data easily. If you work as part of a research group, you should decide on a file and folder naming system in conjunction with your colleagues.                        Good research data management (RDM) is a key part of research excellence.  Research data is material that is created or collected and informs and validates research outputs. It can be in digital or non-digital format and include, for example, photographs, interview recordings, Excel spreadsheets, medical specimens, NVivo files and paper records. Managing your research data well:   Ensures research data is stored securely and avoids preventable data loss.  Allows you to find and understand research data quickly, making the research process more efficient.  Facilitates collaboration between researchers.  Makes it possible to validate research findings and increases the transparency of the research process.  Enables data reuse and decreases duplication of effort.  Ensures you meet funder and legal requirements. ? 

Puzzled by Research Data Management?

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