Oxford University Computing Services Research data management in the humanities Sudamih Project, OUCS

Oxford University Computing Services What is research data management? ▪The aspects of research that take place between gathering sources and producing the final outputs ▪Organising and structuring material ▪Storage and backing up ▪Preparing material for analysis, or to share with others ▫This may include working with databases 2

Oxford University Computing Services Key aims of research data management ▪In the short term, to ensure you have the information you need at your fingertips ▪In the longer term, to ensure information remains secure, easily retrievable, intelligible, and adequately documented 3

Oxford University Computing Services Funding bodies’ requirements ▪Funders are increasingly requiring researchers to meet certain data management criteria ▫For example, you may be asked to make your data available through an archive ▪When applying for funding, you may need to submit a technical or data management plan 4

Oxford University Computing Services Data management basics ▪Be proactive – plan ahead ▪Take time to look at your existing ways of dealing with information ▫Do they meet your current needs? ▫Will they continue to do so for the duration of your research project? Beyond that? ▪Think about how you’ll integrate new material with what you already have 5

Oxford University Computing Services Information management tools ▪Explore the tools that are available ▫Word processors can’t do everything ▫Consider using a relational database... ▫... or some bibliographic software ▫... or software to annotate, organise, analyse... ▪Visit the Research Skills Toolkit websiteResearch Skills Toolkit ▪Ask colleagues for recommendations 6

Oxford University Computing Services Storage and backing up ▪Your data is valuable – so keep it safe ▫Make a backup plan ▫Keep copies in multiple places ▫OUCS’s HFS service offers free backup and archiving to university staffHFS ▪If you work on multiple computers, investigate synchronisation services ▫Dropbox is popular – though others existDropbox 7

Oxford University Computing Services Training ▪OUCS 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 Skills Hub (on WebLearn) lists other training providersSkills Hub 8

Oxford University Computing Services Advice and support ▪OUCS’s RTS team (shortly to become InfoDev) can advise on technical issues ▪Departmental IT support teams ▪OUCS’s NSMS offers paid-for services ▪The OU Research Data Management website provides guidance and information about servicesResearch Data Management website ▪Download the Sudamih Project’s leafletSudamih Project’s leaflet 9

Oxford University Computing Services Data sharing and curation ▪In addition to publishing your results, you may also want to share your data ▫Data for sharing needs to be consistently presented and properly documented ▫Consider depositing it in an archive ▫Oxford has its own research archive - ORAORA ▪The Digital Curation Centre is a national body which can provide adviceDigital Curation Centre 10

Oxford University Computing Services Finally... ▪See time spent on information 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! 11