Research Data Management
Research Staff Conference
Thursday 3rd March 2016
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Research data is any
information (digital or physical)
required to underpin research
All images free to share, from Google and Flickr
A data management horror story by Karen Hanson, Alisa Surkis and Karen Yacobucci, New York University Health
Sciences Library. https://youtu.be/66oNv_DJuPc
Dr Judy’s Problems
• Data not in a public repository (breach of NIH / Science journal
requirements)
• Single copy on a USB drive only – no backup
• Single copy sent by mail…
• Proprietary file format, not open
• Software needed to read file is obsolete
• No description of file format / software
• No description of variables, content of data file
Data availability declines with article age
Vines et al. (2014) Current Biology 24: 94–97 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.11.014
“It was unbelievable. Its not
science the way most of us
have practiced in our careers.
But we all realised that we
would never get biomarkers
unless all of us parked our
egos and intellectual
property noses outside the
door and agreed that all of
our data would be public
immediately.”
Dr John Trojanowski, University of Pennsylvania
www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/health/research/13alzheimer.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Data sharing increases citation and impact
Piwowar HA, Vision TJ (2013) https://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.175
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‘Publicly funded research data are a public good,
produced in the public interest, which should be
made openly available with as few restrictions as
possible in a timely and responsible manner that
does not harm intellectual property.’
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/datapolicy/
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Major Funder’s Expectations:
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- mandatory for all funding streams
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Data Management Plan (written post-award, held locally)
Data should normally be publicly available at the point of publication. Include
a data citation in you publication
Store data (incl. non-digital data) in a repository
Ensure data are securely preserved for at least ten years
Period of exclusive use of data = 12 months.
Describe your data using appropriate metadata to enable other researchers to
find, cite and understand it
Funding is available for RDM activities.
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- in the process of making their policy mandatory
- work with their funded researchers to support compliance
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Data management plan required as part of application
Data should normally be publicly available at the point of
publication. Include a data citation in you publication
Data must be deposited in the appropriate NERC-funded
datacentre as soon after collection as possible. The data
centre will ensure secure preservation of data.
Period of exclusive use of data = 24 months.
Describe your data using appropriate metadata to enable
other researchers to find, cite and understand it
Funding is available for preparing data for deposit.
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Why share research data?
• Comply with funder data policies
• Promote scientific integrity
• Avoid duplication of effort
• New collaborations between creators and users
• Increased impact and visibility, e.g. more citations
• National assessment exercises e.g.
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Data Management Plans
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Data management plans are now a common feature of grant applications.
Funders are placing more emphasis on DMPs and we’ve recently seen
some applications returned for revision due to weak plans.
•Description of the data to be collected / created
•Standards / methodologies for data collection and management
•Ethics and Intellectual Property concerns or restrictions
•Plans for data sharing and access
•Strategy for long-term preservation
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‘A web-based tool to help researchers write
data management plans’
https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk
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DMPonline Training:
A practical workshop which provides an introduction to data
management planning and guidance on using DMPonline.
During this workshop you will:
• learn about current funder requirements for DMPs.
• explore the content that goes into a DMP.
• learn how to use DMPonline to create DMPs.
• have a hands-on opportunity to try DMPonline yourself.
Course: Introduction to DMPonline
University Library, Islay Lab, 27 April 2016, 2 – 4 pm
Book through EOD (code: RIDMP)
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Data Storage and Back-up
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE56F5MK20090720
“How does one misplace a 90-foot, 15 tonne sauropod,
the largest dinosaur the world has ever known?​
By neglecting description and metadata of your data.”
“Full Barosaurus, Royal Ontario Museum” by KristyVan – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons –
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Full_Barosaurus,_Royal_Ontario_Museum.jpg#/media/File:Full_Barosaurus,_Royal_Ontario_Museum.jpg
https://bibliojo.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/well-formed-standardized-metadata-is-a-necessity-for-the-discovery-access-preservationand-sharing-of-digital-objects/
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Storing live data
• Within University: Shared network drive, can be password
protected, extra space possible
• OwnCloud (external collaboration, up to 10GB)
• MS OneDrive for Business (internal collaboration, up to 1TB)
• NOT RECOMMENDED:
– Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive
– ‘consumer cloud services’…
• Check with local IT services
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Something else to consider…
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Technology changes fast…
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Hardware, software, media and file types
‘Born digital’ data has no analogue backup
Consider implications when planning research
Proprietary formats and open standards
Several strategies for preservation of digital data, but regular
review needed.
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Select open formats for sharing
• It’s better to use formats with open, documented standards
• But, if there is no alternative to proprietary software, make
specific note of the version number when describing your data
Type
Recommended
Avoid for data sharing
Tables
CSV
Excel
Text
TXT, HTML, RTF, PDF/A
Word
Audio/Video
FLAC, MP4
Quicktime
Images
TIFF, JPEG2000, PNG
GIF, JPG
Further examples: http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/create-manage/format/formats-table
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Do you know how to…
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Find existing information resources related to your research?
Share data with collaborators securely and effectively?
Deposit your data in an open repository?
Publish your research data and get it cited as well?
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What is a Repository?
• Somewhere you store and manage ‘stuff’
• Usually a definitive version
• Usually ‘open’ (i.e. other people can view
and potentially re-use)
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The World Wide Web?
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The Digital Repository
• Where we can store our files
• Describe our files
• Share our files
• Where other people can find our files
• Where other people can potentially access and reuse our files
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Choosing a repository
Increasing number of generic and subject-specific repositories:
• Generic: Figshare
• Funder-funded: NERC, ESRC (UK Data Service)
• Subject specific: Dryad for Ecology, ADS for Archaeology, …
• Institutional: Enlighten: Research Data
• For code: Github, Bitbucket, …
• Can use re3share to find suitable repository
http://researchdata.gla.ac.uk/
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Licensing
• Not all data can be shared
• But things that can be shared need licences so that other
people know explicitly what they are allowed to do with them
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Licensing
• Ensure you are attributed
• Decide if your work can be adapted
• Do you want other people to then be obliged to share the
work that build on yours?
• Is commercial gain (for other people) allowed from your work?
http://creativecommons.org/
http://www.gla.ac.uk/datamanagement/
Further training options
Electronic Lab Notebooks Event
Level 5, Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 16 March, 11 – 1:30
http://electronic-lab-notebooks-glasgow.eventbrite.com
Managing your Research Data
University Library TalkLab, 20 April 2016, 2 – 4
(Book though EOD, Code: RDCR)
Introduction to DMPonline
University Library, 27 April 2016, 2 – 4
(Book though EOD, Code: RIDMP)
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/datamanagement/training/
Most importantly: Contact us!
research-datamanagement@glasgow.ac.uk
We can provide assistance, advice and practical help on
all aspects of data management.
Mary Donaldson
Mick Eadie
Niels Cadée