June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Slides provided by the DaMaRO Project, University of Oxford Research Services

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, s, 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 June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Page 2

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? June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Page 3

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 June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Page 4

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 June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Page 5

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 June 3, 2016 Research data management – a brief introduction Page 6

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? June 3, 2016 Research data management – a brief introduction Page 7

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? June 3, 2016 Research data management – a brief introduction Page 8

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 the near future, Oxford will launch two new services  DataBank – an institutional digital data archive  DataFinder – a catalogue of datasets  for information or  Bodleian Libraries can also advise on metadata and data standards, and can issue DOIs June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Page 9

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...  The Skills Hub (on WebLearn) details other training opportunities, including training for graduate studentsSkills Hub  Departments and divisions also offer their own training programmes  Look out for courses specifically on data management June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Page 10

Research Services Advice and support  The Oxford Research Data Management website provides guidance and information about servicesResearch Data Management website  IT Services’ Research Support team for technical issuesResearch Support  Bodleian Libraries for curation and metadata issues Bodleian Libraries  Ask your subject librarian for discipline-specific help  Departmental IT support teams  IT Services’ NSMS offers paid-for servicesNSMS  The Digital Curation Centre is a national body which can provide advice on sharing and preservationDigital Curation Centre June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Page 11

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! June 3, 2016 Research data management – an introduction Page 12