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August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Slides provided by the DaMaRO Project, University of Oxford Research Services
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What is research data management? Research data is all the information you make use of in your research Structured data (in databases, tables, etc.) Unstructured data (in textual sources, images, audio recordings, personal notes, emails, etc.) Data management is how you organize, structure, and care for this Storage, backing up, and data preservation Preparing material for analysis, or to share with others August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Page 2
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Research Services Data management basics Be proactive – start early and think ahead Take time to look at your existing ways of dealing with information Do they meet your current needs? Can you find what you need when you need it? Are files and data suitably labelled to aid retrieval? Will they continue to do so for the duration of your research project? What about after that? What do you need to do to enable further use of the data – by you or by others? August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Page 3
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Research Services Funding bodies’ requirements Funders are increasingly requiring researchers to meet certain data management criteria When applying for funding, you may need to submit a technical or data management plan You may be asked to make your data available through an archive SHERPA JULIET provides a useful summary of funding bodies’ policies SHERPA JULIET August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Page 4
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Research Services Storage and backing up How are you storing your data for the duration of your project? What’s your back-up plan? The HFS service offers free back-up to postgraduates and university staffHFS Do you have access to space on a departmental server? Synchronization software can help if you work on multiple computers Dropbox is popular – though others exist Dropbox August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Page 5
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Research Services Data management tools Are you using the best tools for the task in hand? Don’t struggle on with the wrong software or technique just because it’s what you know If you’ve ever thought ‘I wish I could…’, maybe someone else has, too – and has written some software to make it possible Tools exist to do a huge range of jobs – to help organize and analyse information, annotate Web pages, PDFs, or images, and much more Discover new tools via the Research Skills Toolkit websiteResearch Skills Toolkit You could also ask colleagues for recommendations, or search for online reviews August 14, 2015 Research data management – a brief introduction Page 6
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Research Services Longer term goals If you return to your data in a year or two, will it still be intelligible? Does the format make it clear what everything means? Are there abbreviations that need explanation? Is the data adequately documented? Where did it come from? Who created it? What changes have been made to it? Is any additional information needed to place the data in context? Are there any restrictions on how it can be used? What’s your long term storage plan? August 14, 2015 Research data management – a brief introduction Page 7
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Research Services Planning for data sharing and curation Data sharing is… Good practice – helps make the most of data Good for you – improve your citation rate Now required by most major funders Preserving and sharing data is much easier if planned for from the beginning of a project Is the data in an appropriate format? Does it have the relevant documentation and metadata? Are there confidentiality or IP issues? August 14, 2015 Research data management – a brief introduction Page 8
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Research Services Depositing your data Consider depositing data in a repository or archive A straightforward way of ensuring long-term curation There are many subject-specific repositories In 2013 Oxford will launch two new services DataBank – an institutional digital data archive DataFinder – a catalogue of datasets Email ORA@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for information or adviceORA@bodleian.ox.ac.uk Bodleian Libraries can also advise on metadata and data standards, and can issue DOIs August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Page 9
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Research Services Training The IT Learning Programme offers courses on a wide range of softwareIT Learning Programme Also database design, working with digital images, Web publishing... Look out for courses specifically focusing on data management The Graduate Training site and the Skills Hub (both on WebLearn) detail other training opportunitiesGraduate TrainingSkills Hub August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Page 10
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Research Services Advice and support The OU Research Data Management website provides guidance and information about servicesResearch Data Management website IT Services’ InfoDev team for technical issuesInfoDev Departmental IT support teams IT Services’ NSMS offers paid-for servicesNSMS Bodleian Libraries for curation and metadata issues Bodleian Libraries Ask your subject librarian for discipline-specific help The Digital Curation Centre is a national body which can provide advice on sharing and preservationDigital Curation Centre August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Page 11
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Research Services Finally... See time spent on data 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! August 14, 2015 Research data management – an introduction Page 12
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